We are talking about a particular topic and, suddenly, we forget something, as if the information that we had available in our mind had been erased. What happened? how is it possible that he no longer remembers what he was going to say? The pressures and/or demands with which we live tend to fill us with responsibilities that are difficult to deal with. In this sense, it is common for certain forgetfulness to arise in the presence of others and even alone.
Despite the fact that today this fact can be very common, in some cases carelessness can have unfavorable consequences for the development of the person's daily life. Do you want to know more about it? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about blackouts: what they are, symptoms, causes and treatment.
Index
- What are brain fogs
- Symptoms of blackouts
- Causes of blackouts
- Types of blackouts
- Treatment of blackouts
What are brain fogs.
What does it mean to have gaps? When we speak of mental blackouts, we refer to those periods of time in which the loss of some memory, situation and/or identity. Due to its qualities, this problem corresponds to a health disorder.
The alterations that produce mental gaps, also called amnesia, interfere with the development of daily activities carried out by an individual. In this sense, it is worth mentioning that the intensity of the gaps will depend on the severity of the condition, as well as the characteristics of the affected person.
Symptoms of blackouts.
Mental gaps have certain manifestations that appear both on the physical plane and in the emotions and behaviors of the people who suffer from them. Below we show you the main symptoms of people with gaps:
- Memory loss.
- Decreased attention span.
- Confusion.
- Difficulty thinking.
- Lack of personal memories and/or situations experienced.
- Inability to store new information.
- Distress.
- Anxiety.
- Fluctuating mood.
- Social withdrawal.
- Loss of identity.
- Difficulty in decision making.
- Bewilderment.
Beyond the symptoms mentioned, it is important to note that the isolated presence of any of them does not necessarily constitute a diagnosis of mental blackout. For this reason, it is essential that the evaluation of the disorder is carried out by a mental health professional who analyzes the characteristics of the patient, taking into account aspects such as age, genetic background, pre-existing diseases or family history, among others. others.
Causes of blackouts.
Why do blackouts occur? In order to develop strategies to reduce the symptoms of blackouts, it is necessary to determine their origins. Next, we show you the main causes associated with this mental disorder:
organic factors
There are certain neural connections that allow us to store the information we receive from the environment. However, when some complexity arises in neural transmission, memory can be impaired.
Also, we must take into account that the Genetic heritage It may also be related to memory disturbances. In other words, if either parent has had a blackout, there's a good chance it will show up in their child.
Another of the most relevant causes of the loss of memories is the age, since with the passage of time the memory loses functionality.
Psychological factors
The episodes linked to the lack of memories can be the product of painful experiences From the past. When a person goes through a traumatic situation, your mind tries to look for different alternatives to eliminate the pain caused. For the same reason, the fear of reliving bad memories can make the person forget certain moments in her life.
Similarly, we must consider that the intensity of the experiences is directly related to the resources that each person presents in this type of situation.
Types of brain fog.
The concept of mental gaps is not only reduced to the loss of information available in memory. There are different types of mental gaps that have different qualities from each other and that we explain below:
- dissociative amnesia: consists of the appearance of difficulties in remembering information from the past from an event in a person's life.
- lacunar amnesia: it is an alteration to remember facts about the specific moment in which a traumatic event has occurred. However, the peculiarity of this kind of mental gap is that the person can go to memories before and after that event.
- fragmentary lagoon: This type of brain fog consists of interruptions in the person's memory. In general, when a situation arises that affects the correct functioning of this function of the organism, certain periods appear in which the person does not remember anything.
- complete amnesia: this type of mental gaps implies an absolute loss of information from the past. When this happens, it is difficult to retrieve earlier data, so total amnesia is the most serious type of blackout.
Treatment of brain fog.
Despite the complications that this disorder can cause, today there are various treatments that have proven to be effective in treating blackouts and reducing their symptoms. In this section we will explain the main treatments available to deal with memory loss:
psychological therapy
Blackouts can lead to feelings of insecurity, discomfort, anguish, and low self-esteem. Psychological therapy can help in these cases, since it allows the patient to reflect and learn about the personal aspects associated with the effects of the gaps. In this way, with psychological therapy it is possible work emotions, behaviors and thoughts that are causing the patient's loss of memories.
On the one hand, long-term therapies aim to find the source of the symptoms of the person from the memory of childhood situations. From this, situations of stress and/or anxiety can be faced in a more pleasant way. On the other hand, short-term therapies aim to develop strategies to reduce feelings that cause discomfort.
pharmacological medication
exist medicines that reduce anxiety and can be given in these settings to reduce symptoms of memory loss. However, it is important to remember that these medications can have side effects and can only be taken if they have been prescribed by a mental health professional.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Mental blackouts: what they are, symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
Bibliography
Munoz, M. (2007). From neuropsychology to the neuroanatomy of declarative memory. EduPsykhe Magazine, 6 (2), 223-243.
Roman Campos, G. (1981). Brain lacunae. Journal of the Faculty of Medicine of the National University of Colombia, 39 (2), 115-125.
Mental blackouts: what they are, symptoms, causes and treatment
