| Prevalence |
Dissociative amnesia is rare, and its lifetime prevalence is unknown. |
| Comorbidity |
Depression, anxiety, and substance-related disorders may be present along with dissociative amnesia. (Note: If the amnesia is a result of substance use, dissociative amnesia will not be the diagnosis.) |
| Onset |
Children or adults can develop this disorder. |
| Course |
Patients may have one or multiple episodes of amnesia. In some cases, the episode of amnesia resolves quickly; in other cases it persists. |
| Gender Differences |
No gender differences in the prevalence of dissociative amnesia have been reported. |
| Cultural Differences |
Dissociative amnesia may be a culture-related diagnosis; there are no reported cases of this disorder (due to a traumatic event by itself, in the absence of brain damage resulting from the trauma) prior to 1800 (Pope et al., 2007). |
| Source: Unless otherwise noted, the source is American Psychiatric Association, 2013. For more information see the Permissions section. |