People with this type of amnesia cannot recall things for long periods. It is the inability to relocate new details to the long-term store from the short-term memory store. This is the inability to recollect details that a person acquired before a specific date, usually the date of operation or accident. Primarily, there are two types of amnesia i.e. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – this is a very rare form of dementia.Lewy body dementia (or dementia with Lewy bodies).Vascular dementia is the second most common dementia type.Alzheimer’s disease – this is the most common dementia type.There are about nine different types of dementia. We also see the differences between dementia and amnesia in the different types of these conditions. It is also common for persons with dementia to experience changes in personality and mood as well as withdrawing from their social circles. Most also have issues with writing or speaking, and they have a hard time grasping visual information as the disease progresses. Many are confused about the place or time and have challenges completing tasks they frequently do like getting to a familiar location, making coffee, or changing the settings on the TV. Persons with dementia may have issues with solving problems or planning. The symptoms of dementia are quite different from those of amnesia. Many of them also know that they have a memory disorder. They can also learn new skills, like playing the piano or riding a bike. In most cases, individuals with amnesia can UNDERSTAND both spoken and written words. In dementia cases, when a person experiences memory loss, it does not affect a person’s general knowledge, intelligence, judgment, attention span, identity or personality. The other one is having a difficult time recalling past events or information that was once familiar. One is challenged with learning new information after the onset of dementia. SymptomsĪmnesia generally has two primary features. These may include but are not limited to seizures, head injury, brain surgery, severe illness, hysteria, high fever, concussions, drug or alcohol abuse, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, general aesthetic, and electroconvulsive therapy. Many resources also include age as one of the causes of dementia.ĭiversely, there is a wide range of conditions that can result in amnesia.

CausesĪlthough some common causes can lead to both amnesia and dementia, others remain distinct.Įxperts state that dementia is brought about by the loss or damage to nerve cells and their connections in the brain. People who have amnesia retain their motor skills. It is among the most common symptoms of dementia and is also known as an amnestic syndrome. We can describe amnesia, on the other hand, as the inability to recall old memories or form new ones. This normally influences an individual’s day-to-day activities because it affects the capability to perform basic motor functions.ĭementia also showcases personality distortions. visual construction and visual perception and social cognition.

What is the difference between dementia and amnesia? Definitionĭementia can be described as a progressive disorder that affects various domains like attention, language, memory, judgment/ executive function, perception motor i.e. There are SEVERAL areas in which amnesia and dementia differ, and we will discuss them in-depth in this article. This is one of the reasons it is important to discuss the differences between the two. We found it time and time again the importance of understanding the difference between dementia and amnesia.

Amnestic disorder vs dementia