Substance abuse and addiction

Abstract

Despite the advances that have been made in research on memory, there remains a major problem in understanding amnesia. This is even more complex when amnesia is evaluated in a forensic psychiatric setting. There is a lack of clinical studies of amnesia in forensic psychiatric settings, and as a result the incidence of organic amnesia (amnestic disorder) and psychogenic amnesia (dissociative amnesia) is not clear. Malingered amnesia is also seen frequently in forensic settings, as well as being the arguably most common manifestation of all malingering. The true incidence of amnesia in forensic settings, in specific clinical situations such as homicide, and in many other instances is poorly understood or there is insufficient research available to provide an expert opinion. It is also very difficult to design studies that can answer some of these complex issues.