Treatment
Many forms of amnesia fix
themselves without being treated.
However, there are a few ways
to cope with memory loss if that is not the case.
One of these ways is
cognitive or occupational therapy.
In therapy, amnesiacs will develop the
memory skills they have and try to regain some they have lost by finding which
techniques help retrieve memories or create new retrieval paths.
This may also include
strategies for organizing information to remember it more easily and for improving
understanding of lengthy conversation.
Another coping mechanism is
taking advantage of technological assistance, such as a personal digital device
to keep track of day-to-day tasks.
Reminders can be set up for appointments,
when to take medications, birthdays and other important events.
Many pictures
can also be stored to help amnesiacs remember names of friends, family and
co-workers.
Notebooks, wall calendars,
pill reminders and photographs of people and places are low-tech memory aids
that can help as well.
While there are no medications available to treat amnesia, underlying medical
conditions can be treated to improve memory.
Such conditions include but are
not limited to low thyroid function, liver or kidney disease, stroke,
depression, bipolar disorder and blood clots in the brain.
Wernicke–Korsakoff
syndrome involves a lack of thiamin and replacing this vitamin by
consuming thiamin-rich foods such as whole-grain cereals, legumes (beans and
lentils), nuts, lean pork, and yeast.
Treating alcoholism and
preventing alcohol and illicit drug use can prevent further damage, but in most
cases will not recover lost memory.
Although improvements occur
when patients receive certain treatments, there is still no actual cure remedy
for amnesia so far.
To what extent the patient recovers and how long the amnesia
will continue depends on the type and severity of the lesion
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