Amnesia and Fugue

http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Dissociative_Disorders.htm

The National Alliance for Mental Illness site discussed all four of the Dissociative Disorders. The two types of disorders that I choose to research about were Dissociative Amnesia and Dissociative Fugue. From this article I learned that Dissociative Amnesia is different from basic Amnesia because it is not cause from a physical injury (like a blow to the head). It is caused from overwhelming levels of stress that a person is unable to cope with there for causing them to block out critical personal information. It also discussed the four subtypes of Dissociative Amnesia. They would be Selective Amnesia, Localized Amnesia, Systematized Amnesia, and Generalized Amnesia. The National Alliance for Mental Illness article also discussed a little about Dissociative Fugue. It states that people with this rare disorder become unaware or confused about their personal identity and unexpectedly will leave his/her surroundings on a journey of some kind. These journeys can last anywhere between a few days to months.

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch106/ch106b.html

This Mercks Online Medical Library webpage talked about Dissociative Amnesia. It stated that Dissociative Amnesia is more common among women and to people who have been involved in wars, natural disasters, accidents or abuse. As of 2002 there are no specific genes that have been found or linked with Dissociative Amnesia. Most cases appear after a traumatic event. The site talk about how individuals with Dissociative Amnesia may have high levels of anxiety, and that hypnotist or medicine can help the individual cope with their stress and/or traumatic event.

http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3484.htm

This website has a very large variety of information and I found it really interesting to read about the different types of Dissociative Disorders. The site stated that people with Dissociative Amnesia are usually aware that they are unable to remember part of their past. They give an example that someone may not remember a certain year of their school because of a traumatic event that