Therapeutic Amnesia
By: Nicholas Bobotas
Why drug-induced amnesia?
I chose drug-induced amnesia, because I am very close with several people who have done this, and still do it. Some people do drugs because it helps them forget about their past and hide their feelings from both people around them and themselves. However, I have also met a few people who do drugs simply because they like how it makes them feel and it helps them associate with people and "fit in". I personally think these people have been so stereotyped by the world that even I had looked down on them before. Now I understand that, as cheesy as it sounds, you truly have to stand in someones shoes before you can judge them because of their "drug abuse". Maybe these people want to have drug-induced amnesia. Maybe they want to forget their problems. Or maybe, some people just don't care anymore.
What is Drug-Induced Amnesia?
Drug-induced amnesia can be for both medical and non-medical usage. More often than not it is used to supply patients in the hospital with amnesia to forget about the surgery, and depending on how severe the injury sometimes induce a small coma. This process is performed by trained anesthesiologists, and is a daily routine for them. Medical researchers also use amnesia to further study the brain, and help people with Alzheimer's or amnesia and, contrary to popular belief, it improves their memory, because it stimulates the neurotransmitters rather than blocking them. Drug-induced amnesia can also be used for non-medical or "illegal" usage. This is usually through the use of painkillers, alcohol or other drugs that severely affect the brain and can cause amnesia. Hence where the name "Drug-induced amnesia" comes from. This is usually intentional (unless under the influence of "roofies" which are given to an unknowing victim) and is many people's go to feeling.
Research Psychologists
Catherine Price, Ph.D
Study's lead investigator on brain amnesia.
John Hustad, Ph.D
Studies the prevention of harmful alcohol use by minors.
Dr. Ranjit Mani, M.D.
FDA neurologist and medical reviewer
Effects on the Brain
During medically drug-induced amnesia, the neurotransmitters in the brain are being stimulated in order to either, effectively increase the patient's memory, or induce the patient into a mini-coma. In contrast, non-medical usage results in the blockage of the neurotransmitters in the brain and ends up in short term memory loss or amnesia. All of this activity occurs in the, thalamus, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex, blocking messages and resulting in "dumb-founded" human.