Types of Academic Writing and Amnesia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

This document discusses the four types of academic writing: descriptive, analytical, persuasive, and critical. It also explores the different types of amnesia, including retrograde, anterograde, transient global, and infantile amnesia. The document provides information on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of amnesia, including dementia, trauma, alcohol use, head injuries, and damage to the hippocampus. It also discusses the various therapies and treatments available for amnesia.

Running head: Health and Social Care Management
Health and Social Care Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Part A
There are four chief types of academic writing and they are descriptive, analytical, persuasive
and critical. Descriptive academic writing refers to academic writing that is descriptive in
nature; academic writing whose primary purpose is to give information or facts. Examples of
descriptive academic writing include the summary of an article or a report detailing the results of
an experiment that is conducted.
Analytical academic writing refers to academic writing that is descriptive in nature. However,
in an analytical academic writing, I need to reorganize information and facts that I describe, into
groups, categories, types, parts or relationships. An analysis of a text includes the method of
comparison, contrast, analysis, examination and relation.
Persuasive academic writing refers to the position of a writer through a combination of
persuasion referring to different evidences. The identification of the point of view and the
research through different sources helps a writer in inducing persuasive documentation of the
idea. Point of view in academic writing may include a recommendation, an argument, and the
interpretation of findings or an evaluation of the work done by others. Persuasive writing entails
that each claim that I make, is supported by evidence, for instance, a reference to published
sources or research findings. Persuasive piece of writing includes an argument, an evaluation,
discussion, and taking a position.
Critical academic writing refers to academic writing that has all the elements of persuasive
writing in addition to more than one other point of view. The difference between persuasive
academic writing and critical academic writing pertains to the fact that the former requires me to

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have my own point of view on a topic or an issue while the latter requires me to consider at least
two points of view, in addition to my own point of view. Examples of critical writing include a
literature review that evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of an existing piece of research and
a critique of a journal article. Critical academic writing entails debate, disagreement, critique and
evaluation.
These key academic writing styles are important because it will help me to write an empirical
thesis. Critical writing will be required to write a literature review. The methods section of a
research essay will be descriptive in nature. The report section will be primarily descriptive as
well as analytical as I report on the data that I have collected. The discussion section will entail
an analysis and being analytical as I relate my findings back to my research questions. It will also
be persuasive as I propose my interpretation of what I have found.
Amnesia refers to a state when an individual can no longer recall or memorize information that
has been stored in that person’s memory. People suffering from amnesia often have difficulty in
forming new memories and is unable to recollect places, events, facts and experiences that have
happened in the past. There are various types of amnesia including retrograde amnesia,
anterograde amnesia, transient global amnesia and infantile amnesia (Moon et al. 2016).
Retrograde amnesia refers to a state when a person loses existing memory and previously
formed memories (Kwan et al. 2013). Anterograde amnesia refers to a state when a person can
no longer form new memories in their mind. Transient global amnesia refers to a state when a
person experiences agitation or confusion that occurs several times over the course of a number
of hours. Infantile amnesia refers to the state when a person is unable to remember the first
three to five years of his life (Staniloiu and Markowitsch 2014).

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Part B
Amnesia refers to a neurological disease where a person suffers from acute memory loss
and can no longer recall information or memorize what is stored in the memory (Bacigalupe et
al. 2013). Amnesia has no clinical treatment that can completely cure a person of the disease
(Norman et al. 2012). Patients find it difficult to recall past memories, memorize and
comprehend new information or visualize the future. The ability of the human mind to construct
scenarios in the future is based on recollection of experiences, involving a complex process.
Amnesiac patients are unable to retrieve data since their brain fails to store information in the
first place. Norman et al. (2012) stated that people suffering from amnesia have a defined sense
of self and are articulate in expression, they have severe difficulties while processing new
information. The most common types of amnesia are retrograde, transient, traumatic, hysterical,
blackout phenomenon and prosopamnesia. White et al (2014) stated that uncoordinated
movements and hysteria characterize the disorder. The perpetual memory loss can be either
permanent or temporary, although amnesia usually refers to the temporary category (Norman et
al 2012). Retrogade and anteretrogade are the two primary types of amnesia; the former is a
condition in which a person the events that had occurred in the recent past while the latter refers
to a condition where the patient can no longer learn new things or process new information
(Norman et al. 2012).
Acute memory loss and a general incapability of processing memories, storing new
information are the primary symptoms of amnesia (White and Pillemer 2014). Patients have
extreme difficulty trying to recall specific details, events, facts and places. Amnesiac people can
retain their motor skills, such as being able to express oneself fluently, walking and other

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physical activities, but lose their ability to identify and remember details (Moon et al 2016). The
following a list of symptoms that might be diagnosed as amnesia.
 Impairment in learning new information and storing it in memory
 Inability in remembering events in the recent past
 Generation of false memories which might be completely invented or consisting of
original memories in misplaced time. This condition is referred to as confabulation.
 Neurological problems that shows itself through tremors and uncoordinated movements
 Disorientation and confusion becomes a recurrent pattern.
 Problems related to memory vary from short-term, partial and complete loss of memory.
 A patient may not be able to identify locations and faces (Norman et al. 2012).
Symptoms usually appear in the minor stages of the disease and gains intensity with the
severity of the disorder. It has been found out that amnesia is directly associated with a damage
in the temporal lobe and there is also a correlation between a certain protein deficiency and
memory loss. Amnesiac people is adept with non-declarative knowledge; it is the declarative
knowledge that they struggle with during the affliction of the disorder. Procedural learning and
implicit learning can be perceived by a person suffering from amnesia. The causes are as variable
as the types and symptoms, the treatments are more therapeutic than clinical.
Amnesia is a health condition that results to memory loss in humans. Bacigalupe et al.
(2013) stated that Amnesia affects the capabilities of humans in forming new memories and
result to significant memory loss. The different causes of amnesia as stated by White and
Pillemer (2014) is specifically based on Dementia, Trauma or stress, Alcohol use, Head injuries,
Damage to the hippocampus and Anoxia. The widespread brain deterioration due to Alzheimer’s
disease or several other forms of dementia affects the individual’s thought processing and motor

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skill activities leading to amnesia. Bacigalupe et al. ( 2013) stated that more than 28% of the
observed cases of amnesia relies on Anoxia, which is caused through degeneration of oxygen
levels leading to memory loss. On the other hand, Moon, Kwon and Han (2016) stated that
significant damage to the hippocampus affects the memory lines of individuals. The
hippocampus in the human brain is responsible for memory. The severe damage to the
hippocampus affects the memory and the limbic activities that are undertaken by the individuals.
White and Pillemer (2014) stated that the impaired hippocampus might result to difficulties
faced by the individuals in forming new memories. More than 62% of the people suffering from
anterograde amnesia are due to the impaired hippocampus (Staniloiu and Markowitsch 2014).
Head injuries also play an important part in the development of amnesia among the
patients. Traumatic head injuries damage the functions of the brain, which might result to
primary memory issues (Norman et al. 2012). The different memory problems that are faced by
the people are based on the critical nature of the head injuries that are faced by the same.
Bacigalupe et al. ( 2013) stated that most of the critical head injuries that are encountered by the
people in their early age results to the symptoms of amnesia in the later phases of their lives.
Trauma and stress affects the mental capabilities among the people, which is associated with the
panic attacks, sleep disturbance and depression. The Post-traumatic stress disorder also results to
amnesia through long term depression. Kwan et al. (2013) stated in the research that the
traumatic events affects the body’s defense systems in the inflicted resulting to stress response
and compilation of intense emotions. White and Pillemer (2014) also stated that the trauma or
stress also affects the mental health of the people resulting to memory loss or impeded motor
actions. neurologists play major role in identifying the different concerns that are faced by the
people relating to amnesia. On the other hand, Levack et al. (2014) stated that chemically

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induced amnesia from alcohol might be mitigated through detoxification of the chemical. The
different issues that are faced by the patients are based on the level of trauma that are faced by
the same.
Pertinence to different traumatic events in relation to amnesia is based on the mentality of
the people. On the other hand, Bacigalupe et al. ( 2013) stated that in most of the cases the mild
amnesia occurs within six to nine months. The incurable nature of the disease depends on its
impeded reactions from dementia. However, the neurologists might prescribe different
medications in order to control the disorder. The physician might also prescribe the utilization of
occupational therapy in order to help the patient in learning new information and memory skills.
The occupational therapy will be helping the doctors in improving the motor skills of the patients
apart from developing the information recording skills of the impeded. Norman et al. (2012)
stated that there is no cure for permanent amnestic disorders but the treatments might help in
slowing down the memory loss process. On the other hand, Hou et al. (2013) stated that the
application of the occupational therapy might ease the patient in creating new events and
memories to brood over rather than mining the lost memories as it might thrust stress on the
hippocampus of the patient. According to White and Pillemer (2014), excessive pressure on the
hippocampus might affect the wellbeing of the patient. Staniloiu and Markowitsch (2014) stated
that hypnosis and counseling might bring forth changes in the condition of the patient. On the
other hand, the therapies relating to the developments in the mental health of the patients would
be helping the same in bringing forth improvements (White and Pillemer 2014).
The different mental ailments relating to amnesia depends on the region f the brain that is
being inflicted during the trauma (Norman et al. 2012). The mental setup and the functioning of
the same depend extensively on the level of trauma that is being experienced by the person.

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Norman et al. (2012) stated that enormous stress relating top the social lifestyle might also relate
itself with the development of amnesia. The major aspects of change that might be correlated in
this position is dependent on the amount of trauma and the stage on which the amnesia is
discovered. The introduction of palliative care treatments might be fruitful for treating the
amnesia. The palliative care treatments provide the patients with an increased expectancy of life,
more meaningfully, which might help the same in making their conscious of their memories.
However, Moon, Kwon and Han (2016) opined that palliative care treatments are long term and
they might not bring out results in a random basis. The analysis of the different stages of amnesia
and thereby devising g a fruitful means of treatment will be helping the physicians in
maintaining the efficacy of the diagnosis and treatments. Therefore, the treatments that are
planned by the neurologists depends on the level of amnesia that is encountered by the patient.

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References
Bacigalupe, M.D.L.A., Tujague, M.P., Spath, G.M. and Lahitte, H.B., 2013. Behavioural
research on human working memory: mixing qualitative and quantitative methods.
Hou, Y., Huang, Q., Prakash, R. and Chaudhury, S., 2013. Infrequent near death experiences in
severe brain injury survivors-A quantitative and qualitative study. Annals of Indian Academy of
Neurology, 16(1), p.75.
Kwan, D., Craver, C.F., Green, L., Myerson, J. and Rosenbaum, R.S., 2013. Dissociations in
future thinking following hippocampal damage: evidence from discounting and time perspective
in episodic amnesia. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 142(4), p.1355.
Levack, W.M., Boland, P., Taylor, W.J., Siegert, R.J., Kayes, N.M., Fadyl, J.K. and McPherson,
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Moon, Y., Oh, J., Kwon, K.J. and Han, S.H., 2016. Transient global amnesia: Only in already
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Staniloiu, A. and Markowitsch, H.J., 2014. Dissociative amnesia. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(3),
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