Amnesia among Indigenous Australians

Abstract

Looking at the incidence of amnesia in Australian indigenous people who have experienced a legacy of intergenerational trauma and psycho-social traumas in childhood such as psychological, sexual and physical abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, out-of-home care, and over-policing, this chapter will consider the impact of trauma-based amnesia from the perspective of social neuroscience in relation to the frequency of incidence derived from data on reported mood and neurotic group disorders to draw insights into the epidemiology of psychogenic amnesia among indigenous Australians. This chapter will also consider cultural implications as health is not just a physiological or mental status of an individual but encompasses social, emotional, and cultural connectedness which amnesia disrupts. This research seeks to create better understanding as to the causal attributes of more prevalent levels of suffering among indigenous Australians as compared to non-indigenous Australians.