Trauma-Induced Dissociative Amnesia in World War I Combat Soldiers

Hart, Onno van der; Brown, Paul; Graafland, Mariétte

doi:10.1046/j.1440-1614.1999.00508.x

Cited by 26 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…With delayed PTSD, the pattern starts after an extended period of relatively well functioning. A few traumatized individuals develop dissociative amnesia as a disorder which involves reported gaps in re-call related to the trauma, additional aspects of their prior life, or even all of it (Markowitsch, 1999;Van der Hart, Brown, & Graafland, 1999;). These patients remain amnesic for an extended period of time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma-related Structural Dissociation of the Personality

2010

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Many traumatized individuals alternate between re-experiencing their trauma and being detached from, or even relatively unaware of the trauma and its effects. At first sight one may be inclined to conceptualize detachment from trauma and reexperiencing of trauma as mental states. However, on closer scrutiny it becomes apparent that in both cases a range or cluster of states rather than a singular state is involved. For example, being detached from trauma does not itself exclude being joyful, ashamed, sexually aroused, or curious at times, and re-experiencing trauma can encompass states such as fleeing, freezing, and being in pain or being analgesic. In this paper we relate detachment from trauma and reexperiencing trauma to emotional operating systems (Panksepp, 1998) and functional systems (Fanselow & Lester, 1988), briefly addressed as action systems. Action systems control a range of functions, but some are more complex than others. Reexperiencing trauma will be associated with the inborn and evolutionary derived defensive system that is evoked by severe threat, in particular threat to the integrity of the body. As a complex system, it encompasses various subsystems, such as flight, freeze, and fight. Detachment from trauma, in our view, is associated with several action systems (Panksepp, 1998), i.e., the ones that control functions in daily life (e.g., exploration of the environment, energy control), and the ones that are dedicated to survival of the species (e.g., reproduction, attachment to and care for offspring). In this context we will maintain that severe threat may provoke a structural dissociation of the premorbid personality ( . In its primary form this dissociation is between the defensive system on one hand, and the systems that involve managing daily life and survival of the species on the other hand. To summarize the essence of the theory of structural dissociation of the personality, we argue (1) that traumatic experiences, especially when they occur early in life and involve severe threat to the integrity of the body, may activate psychobiological action systems that have been developed by evolution, and (2) that due to extreme stress levels and classical as well as evaluative conditioning to traumatic memories these systems may remain unintegrated to varying degrees.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma-related Structural Dissociation of the Personality

2010

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“…Childhood traumas, particularly chronic abuse beginning at early ages, are related to the development of high levels of dissociative amnesia (Chu, Frey, Ganzel, & Matthews, 1999). However, the incidence Downloaded by [University of Connecticut] at 04:50 13 October 2014 of dissociative amnesia has shown an increase during war times and natural disasters (Van der Hart, Brown, & Graafland, 1999). For a diagnosis of dissociative fugue, different subacute chronic traumatic circumstances (times of massive social dislocations, natural disasters, wartime, and recurrent childhood sexual abuse) have been identified to predispose individuals to episodes of fugue (Loewenstein & Putnam, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissociation in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Study

Molina-Serrano

Linotte

Amat

et al. 2008

Journal of Trauma & Dissociation

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The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of various dissociative phenomena in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their possible implications in manifestation and course of depression. We administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and a self-questionnaire of life events to 27 patients with MDD and to 40 healthy participants in order to collect information on traumatic events. Patients who scored >or= 20 on the DES were also assessed to determine the presence of dissociative disorder. Patients with MDD reported a significantly higher mean score on the DES than the comparison healthy participants. In all, 12 out of 27 patients with MDD reported childhood trauma, and their mean score on the DES representing absorption and imaginative involvement was significantly higher than that of participants without childhood trauma. Also, 7% of our MDD patients were diagnosed with dissociative disorder during this study. The principal limitations of the study were its small sample size and the use of a nonstandardized trauma measure. These findings indicate that dissociative phenomena should not be overlooked in MDD. Screening methods and structured interview for dissociative disorders are useful in psychiatric and psychological practice. Further studies should analyze the role and clinical consequence of different forms of dissociation experiences.

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“…Generalized amnesia (GA), the most extreme form of dissociative amnesia [1,2], refers to failure of recall of one’s entire life. With the exception of the World War I psychiatric literature [3], this uncommon disorder until recently has attracted very little scientific or clinical attention. This neglect is regrettable, because as the limiting member of its class, GA offers one of the best opportunities to study dissociative amnesia, particularly the extent to which various memory systems can be involved.…”

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confidence: 99%

Generalized dissociative amnesia: episodic, semantic and procedural memories lost and found*

Hart

Nijenhuis²

2001

Aust N Z J Psychiatry

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Contrary to the view expressed in DSM-IV, which states that dissociative amnesia pertains to an inability to recall personal information, GA may also involve loss and recovery of semantic and procedural memories. Since the loss of various memory types in GA is dimensional rather than categorical, Ribot's typological distinction does not hold. Some of the reviewed cases suggest a trauma-related aetiology. Generalized amnesia of varying degrees of severity can involve delayed retrieval of trauma memories, as well as the loss and delayed retrieval of the premorbid personality.

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Trauma-Induced Dissociative Amnesia in World War I Combat Soldiers

Abstract: Posttraumatic amnesia extends beyond the experience of sexual and combat trauma and is a protean symptom, which reflects responses to the gamut of traumatic events.

Cited by 26 publications

References 37 publications

Trauma-related Structural Dissociation of the Personality

Trauma-related Structural Dissociation of the Personality

Dissociation in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Study

Generalized dissociative amnesia: episodic, semantic and procedural memories lost and found*

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