Systematized amnesia is loss of memory for certain categories of information, such as all memories relating to one’s family or to a particular person (APA, 1994). In generalized amnesia, the failure of recall encompasses the person’s entire life (APA, 1994; Van der Hart & Nijenhuis, 2001). This is the “John Doe” version of amnesia where individuals have no idea who they are, where they are from, or any other generalities of their lives. This type is rare. Finally, the DSM-IV defines continuous amnesia as the inability to recall all events subsequent to a specific time up to and including the present. This is an extremely rare form of dissociative amnesia that may be related to events that have overwhelmed the individual (Janet, 1893/1898e, 1901/1977).
- The Haunted Self, Onno van der Hart, Ellert R. S. Nijenhuis, and Kathy Steele
