Psychiatry for Physicians - Amnestic Disorders
Amnestic disorders are characterized by inability to learn new information with the ability to recall extremely remote information. These disorders along with dementia and delirium were once called organic mental illnesses. But as most or all the mental illnesses have organic basis, the word organic is no more is in official use. Anything that damages the hippocampus-fornix-mammillary body-thalamus circuits can produce an amnestic disorder. In practice the most common causes of amnestic disorder are
1. Head trauma
2. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
3. Stroke
4. Neoplasm
5. Herpes encephalitis
6. Anoxia
7. Hypoglycemia
8. Surgical procedures that disrupt medial temporal structure
There are some situations that can cause transient amnesia. They are
1. Epileptic convulsions
2. Ischemic episodes
3. Transient global amnesia
Amnestic disorder can be further divided into the following categories
1. Amnestic disorders caused by some general medical condition that include posttraumatic amnesia, poststroke amnesia etc.
2. Substance induced amnestic disorder that mainly indicates the amnestic outcome of alcohol and benzodiazepine use.
Another variety of disorders other than amnestic disorders, can be described in brief with these. It is mental disorders due to a general medical condition. It has three main categories
1. Catatonic disorder
2. Mental disorder not otherwise specified
3. Personality change
The personality changes are described as labile, disinhibited, aggressive, apathetic, combined, unspecified etc. Catatonic features are usually immobility, staring, mutism, withdrawal, refusal to eat, posturing, grimacing etc. Treatment of all these include symptomatic approach and treatment of the underlying disorder. A common drug used for such psychiatric problems is Lorazepam. But it must be prescribed and used under the supervision of duly authorized medical person.
About the Author:
Dr. Mohammad Samir Hossain PhD is a researcher teacher of Psychiatry and a Psychotherapist in Bangladesh. He is renouned for his educational and research activity in mental health sector nationally and internationally. The Dictionary of International Biography cites his brief biography starting from its 33rd edition. One of the best educational institutions involved with his educational activity is the Harvard Medical School of USA. Visit his personal page at http://www.samirhossain.org
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