In mental health literature, dissociative disorders are considered as mental diseases causing the breakdown of memory, affecting awareness, perceptions, and overall consciousness. Nevertheless, we still don't have an agreed definition of consciousness in the scientific literature.

In general, amnesia is a neurological disorder. It is associated with damage to the brain. The severity of the injury determines the recoverability. Retrieving memories can be challenging for amnesia patients.

I attempted to understand the main difference between generic amnesia and dissociative amnesia. In short, while the generic one defines the physical memory loss caused by a specific incident, the dissociative one refers to the burying of memories in the subconscious. It is so tricky that patients cannot remember their past for a long time. Their retrieval is challenging. Hence this condition adversely affects living an everyday life for patients.

Amnesia is diagnosed through general examination and review of medical history by a psychiatrist, reviewing blood sets, head ex-rays, cerebral angiography, and computed tomography scans.

Since many factors cause amnesia, the treatment may vary based on the root causes of the symptoms. For example, a head concussion may need surgery and plenty of rest. Suppose the damage is caused by alcohol, then abstinence therapy and nutritional support are applied to address deficiencies. These patients also need emotional and social support.

If Alzheimer's disease causes amnesia, there are new medication therapies approved by FDA or equivalent governance bodies in other countries. I mention treatment approaches under each condition below.

Several other conditions, including neurological, biological, and psychological factors, affect memory loss. However, based on research of cognitive science literature, here are the five mental health conditions causing memory loss.