Official statement of the AMA on False Memory
I have been asked many times to provide a copy of the official
statement of
the AMA on False Memory
This is a valuable paper to have in
any argument regarding this issue.
Jackie McGauley McMartin Preschool
Mother & Whistleblower
6-16-2003
TunnellReport@aol.com
___________________________________________________________
Recognition
of the Reality of Dissociative Amnesia: Statements by
Professional
Organizations
Most major associations that have examined this issue
recognize that full
or partial forgetting of genuine memories of abuse can
occur.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV)
The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-VI) recognizes
memory problems to be a common feature of five post-traumatic conditions:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Fugue,
Dissociative Disorder Not-Otherwise-Specified, and Dissociative Identity
Disorder.
Code No. 300.12 (Dissociative Amnesia) "Dissociative amnesia is
characterized
by an inability to recall important personal information,
usually of a
traumatic or stressful nature, that is too extensive to be
explained by ordinary
forgetfulness.... The reported duration of the events
for which there is amnesia
may be minutes to years. . . . Some individual
with chronic amnesia may
gradually begin to recall dissociated memories"
(pp. 478-9).
Code No. 300.14 (Dissociative Identity Disorder): "Individuals
with this
disorder experience frequent gaps in memory for personal history,
both remote and
recent. . . . There may be loss of memory not only for
recurrent periods of
time, but also an overall loss of biographical memory
for some extended period
of childhood" (pp. 484-5).
World Health
Organization, International Classification of Diseases, 9th
Revision
(ICD-9)
See Code Nos. 300.12 (Psychogenic amnesia; hysterical
amnesia); 300.14
(Multiple personality, dissociative identity disorder;
300.15 (Dissociative disorder
or reaction, unspecified)
U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and the National Center for
Health
Satistics, International Classification of Diseases, DHHS Pub. No. (PHS_
94-1260
See Code Nos. 300.12 (Psychogenic amnesia; hysterical
amnesia); 300.14
(Multiple personality, dissociative identity disorder;
300.15 (Dissociative disorder
or reaction, unspecified)
American
Medical Association, Council on Scientific Affairs. (1994). Memories
of
Childhood Abuse. CSA Report 5-A-94. Chicago: Author.
This statement was
formulated in response to the growing concern regarding
memories of sexual
abuse. The validity of some memories of sexual abuse, as
well as some of the
therapeutic techniques which have been used have been
debated. The APA
states that it is concerned that the passionate debates about these
issues
have obscured the recognition of a body of scientific evidence that
underlies widespread agreement among psychiatric treatment in this area. "We
are
especially concerned that the public confusion and dismay over this
issue and
the possibility of false accusations not discredit the reports of
patients
who have indeed been traumatized by actual previous
abuse."
Major points:
* Sexual abuse of children and adolescents lead
to severe negative
consequences and is a risk factor for the development of
many classes of psychiatric
disorders.
* Children who have been abused
cope with the trauma by using a variety of
psychological mechanisms. "These
coping mechanisms may result in the lack of
conscious awareness of the abuse
for varying periods of time. Conscious
thoughts and feelings stemming from
the abuse may emerge at a later date."
* Human memory is a complex process
about which there is a substantial base
of scientific knowledge.
*
Implicit and explicit memory are two different forms of memory. This
distinction between explicit and explicit memory is fundamental because they
have
been shown to be supported by different brain systems.
* "Some
individuals who have experienced documented traumatic events may
nevertheless include some false or inconsistent elements in their reports.
In
addition, hesitancy in making a report, and recanting following the
report, can
occur in victims of documented abuse. Therefore, these seemingly
contradictory
findings do not exclude the possibility that the report is
based on a true
event."
* Memories can be significantly influenced by
questioning especially in
young children.
* There is no completely
accurate way of determining the validity of
reports in the absence of
corroborating information.
* Advises "an empathic, nonjudgmental, neutral
stance towards reported
memories of sexual abuse."
* Psychiatrists are
urged to base their treatment plan on a complete
psychiatric assessment and
the full range of the client's clinical needs. "A strong
prior belief by the
psychiatrist that sexual abuse, or other factors, are or
are not the cause
of the patient's problems is likely to interfere with
appropriate assessment
and treatment."
* Many individuals who have experienced sexual abuse have a
history of not
being believed by their parents, or others in whom they have
put their trust.
Expression of disbelief is likely to cause the patient
further pain and
decrease his/her willingness to seek needed psychiatric
treatment. Similarly,
clinicians should not exert pressure on patients to
believe in events that may not
have occurred, or make other important
decisions based on these speculations."
* The intensity of debate about these
topics should not influence
psychiatrists to abandon their commitment to
basic principles of ethical practice.
Notes that psychiatrists should
refrain from making public statements about the
veracity or other features
of individual reports of sexual abuse.
See: Report on memories of
childhood abuse. American Medical Association
Council on Scientific Affairs.
(1995, April). International Journal of Clinical &
Experimental
Hypnosis, 43(2), 114-7.
American Psychological Association, Working Group on
Investigation of
Memories of Childhood Abuse: Final Report (1996)
(issued
on February 14, 1996)
Final conclusions included:
1. Controversies
regarding adult recollections should not be allowed to
obscure the fact that
child sexual abuse is a complex and pervasive problem in
America that has
historically gone unacknowledged.
2. Most people who were sexually abused as
children remember all or part of
what happened to them.
3. It is possible
for memories of abuse that have been forgotten for a long
time to be
remembered.
4. It is also possible to construct convincing pseudomemories for
events
that never occurred.
5. There are gaps in our knowledge about the
processes that lead to accurate
and inaccurate recollections of childhood
abuse.
See also:
Questions & Answers About Memories of
Childhood Abuse
URL: http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/mem.html
British Psychological Society, Report of the Working Group on Recovered
Memories. (1995). Recovered memories. Leicester, UK: Author.
Executive
Summary
The working party was charged with reporting on the scientific
evidence
relevant to the current debate concerning Recovered Memories of
Trauma and with
commenting on the issues surrounding this topic. After
reviewing the scientific
literature, surveying relevant members of the
British Psychological Society,
and scrutinizing the records of the British
False Memory Society, the formed the
following conclusions:
1.
Complete or partial memory loss is a frequently reported consequence of
experiencing certain kinds of psychological traumas including childhood
sexual
abuse. These memories are sometimes fully or partially recovered
after a gap
of many years.
2. Memories may be recovered within or
independent of therapy. Memory
recovery is reported by highly experienced
and well qualified therapists who are
well aware of the dangers of
inappropriate suggestion and interpretation.
3. In general, the clarity and
detail of event memories depends on a number
of factors, including the age
at which the even occurred. Although clear
memories are likely to be broadly
accurate, they may contain significant errors.
It seems likely that
recovered memories have the same properties.
4. Sustained pressure or
persuasion by an authority figure could lead to the
retrieval or elaboration
of 'memories' of events that never actually
happened. The possibility of
therapists creating in their clients false memories of
having been sexually
abused in childhood warrants careful consideration, and
guidelines for
therapists are suggested here to minimize the risk of this
happening. There
is no reliable evidence at present that this is a widespread
phenomenon in
the UK.
5. In a recent review of the literature on recovered memories,
Lindsay and
Read commented that "the ground for debate has shifted from the
question of the
possibility of therapy-induced false beliefs to the question
of the
prevalence of therapy-induced false beliefs." We agree with this
comment but add to it
that the ground for debate has also shifted from the
question of the
possibility of recovery of memory from total amnesia to the
question of the prevalence
of recovery of memory from totally
amnesia.
A copy of this report can be obtained from:
The British
Psychological Society
48, Princess Road East
Leicester LE1 7DR
United
Kingdom
Http://www.bps.org.uk/
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). (1997, June).
Childhood Trauma Remembered: A Report on the Current Scientific Knowledge
Base
and Its Applications for Professionals. Northbrook, Illinois: Author.
(Details
and Order Form)
This document addresses childhood
trauma, traumatic memory, the memory
process, clinical issues and forensic
implications pertaining to the ongoing debate
on this subject.
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies also recognizes
dissociative amnesia in their practice guidelines for the treatment of
post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). See: Foa, E. B., Keane, T. M.,
Friedman, M. J. (Eds.).
(1999).Effective Treatments for PTSD: Practice
Guidelines from the
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Northbrook, Illinois: International
Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
(Available from their website at
http://www.istss.org/
State of Kentucky, Attorney General’s Final Report of the Task Force on
Child
Sexual Abuse (1995)
In reviewing this issue, the Task Force
looked at research studies which
revealed that up to 60% of child sexual
abuse survivors report incomplete, or a
total absence of, abuse-specific
memories at some point after victimization.
Research has also shown that
this type of delayed recall is often associated with
more violent and
terrorizing cases of abuse.
See also, Governor’s Office of Child Sexual Abuse
and Domestic Violence
Services. Myths and Realities about Child Sexual
Abuse
http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/gov/domviol/myths.htm
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