Atazagoraphobia (fear of forgetting): symptoms, causes and treatment

Atazagoraphobia is the excessive fear of forgetting, which includes both fear of forgetting and the fear of being forgotten or replaced by others. Despite the fact that it is a common sensation, atazagoraphobia has been little described in scientific language. In fact, it has been more pointed out by philosophers and writers who speak of atazagoraphobia as the fear of eternal anonymity.

In this article We will see what is atazagoraphobia and what are its main characteristics.

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

Atazagoraphobia: the fear of forgetting

The act of remembering is a central function for human beings. Among other things it allows us to maintain a sense of integrity. It also serves as an identification tool that makes it possible for us to respond to the demands of the present and the future.

The opposite act, that of forgetting, is a process that occurs alongside memory consolidation. Neuroscience tells us that, from an adaptive point of view, forgetting allows purification of the unnecessary or irrelevant information, or allows us to block traumatic experiences and thus avoid certain discomfort.

Possible causes

At the base of atazagoraphobia is the recognition that, just as it would be maladaptive to remember absolutely everything; it is also not very functional to forget everything. We can quickly intuit that the latter would result in a significant loss of our own "I". We can also suspect that forgetting the most everyday things would seriously affect our bonds with others. Both for the modification of our perception of the world and of ourselves, as well as of those closest to us.

The previous intuitions can provoke fear, or not. It may be that we evoke and retain them as useful information without necessarily generating a physiological response or obsessive thoughts about the consequences of forgetting and being forgotten.

Scary or not the perception we have about the negative consequences of forgetting It may have been generated by having lived with a person whose medical condition makes memory retention difficult or even prevents them from evoking memories of the past and everyday life.

However, excessive fear of being forgotten can also be a consequence of how the media have often portrayed its consequences and associated medical conditions (Staniloiu & Markowitsch, 2012). More than the research that makes us think of atazagoraphobia as a clinical fear of forgetting, this phobia has been rather widespread and sometimes fed by the media.

• You may be interested in: "Types of memory: how does the human brain store memories?"

Symptoms: does it have clinical manifestations?

Any phobia can cause an experience of anxiety and the organic activation that accompanies it. That is to say, hyperventilation or hypsarrhythmia, dyspnoea, excessive sweating, nausea, tremor, among other manifestations. However, atazagoraphobia is not a mental disorder recognized by any specialized association.

It is a phobia (a fear that is not rationally justified), which has been described in colloquial and informal language to refer to major discomforts related to forgetfulness; but they are not necessarily clinically significant. That is, they do not affect the activities or responsibilities that are considered appropriate for the person in their cultural environment.

For this reason, we cannot formally speak of a series of clinical criteria that lead us to a diagnosis of atazagoraphobia. What we can do is analyze in which situations and contexts an experience of fear of forgetting can most likely be generated and why.

Under what circumstances can it occur?

Returning to the subject of medical conditions related to memory loss, we can consider that atazagoraphobia It can occur in two main circumstances (although it could also occur in others): people who have received a diagnosis and the people who care for them.

1. Before a diagnosis of a medical condition associated with memory loss

On the one hand, atazagoraphobia could manifest itself in people who have an early diagnosis of dementia or other medical conditions. It would be normal for them to be afraid of forgetting their own identity, other people or even everyday things. Nevertheless, the diagnosis itself does not generate irrational fear.

The latter can be caused by multiple factors, among which are the emotional and psychological resources of the person receiving the diagnosis; the support network you have; and also the quality of the information provided by the doctor, as well as her attitude.

That is, if the diagnosis is accompanied by a detailed and truthful explanation of the medical condition and its possible consequences, most likely there is no experience of irrational fear of forgot. The same if the doctor's attitude is empathetic and patient to the person you are dealing with.

2. During the care of the person who has received the diagnosis

On the other hand, atazagoraphobia can occur in caregivers of people who have been diagnosed with dementia or another related medical condition. The latter may be related to the belief that the person they care for will eventually forget them, which can affect both the identification mechanisms of the person who cares for her, as well as her daily work.

Related to the latter, it can also happen that the person they care for generates the belief that they themselves will be forgotten after the memory loss of the person with the diagnosis occurs. This can be work and accompanied by professionals and for the security provided by the support network itself.

Bibliographic references:

• Kangyj (2015). Athazagoraphobia: phobia of being forgotten or ignored? Retrieved July 31, 2018. Available in https://psych2go.net/athazagoraphobia-the-phobia-of-being-forgotten/.
• Fearof.net (2018). Fear of being forgotten phobia-athazagoraphobia. Retrieved July 31, 2018. Available in https://www.fearof.net/fear-of-being-forgotten-phobia-athazagoraphobia/
• Stanilio, A. & Markowitz, H. (2012). Towards solving the riddle of forgetting in functional amnesia: recent advances and current opinions. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00403.