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

In this article we’ll look at what atazagoraphobia is and what its main characteristics are.

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 at the same time as the consolidation of memory. Neuroscience tells us that, from an adaptive point of view, forgetting allows for the purification of unnecessary or irrelevant information, or it allows us to block out traumatic experiences and thus avoid certain discomfort.

Possible causes

At the root of atazagoraphobia is the recognition that just as it would be inappropriate to remember absolutely everything, it is also inappropriate to forget everything. We can quickly sense that the latter would result in a significant loss of our own “self”. We can also suspect that forgetting the most everyday things would seriously affect our bonds with others . Both by the modification of our perception of the world and of ourselves, as well as of those closest to us.

The above intuitions may or may not provoke fear. We may evoke and retain them as useful information without necessarily generating a physiological response or obsessive thoughts about the consequences of forgetting and being forgotten.

Whether they produce fear or not , the perception we have of the negative consequences of forgetting may have been generated by having lived with a person whose medical condition makes it difficult to retain memory or even to evoke memories of the past and everyday life.

However, excessive fear of forgetting can also be a consequence of how the media have very often portrayed its consequences and associated medical conditions (Staniloiu & Markowitsch, 2012). Rather than 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.

Symptoms: do you have clinical manifestations?

Any phobia can cause an experience of anxiety and the accompanying organic activation. That is, hyperventilation or hypsarrhythmia, dyspnea, excessive sweating, nausea, tremors , among other manifestations. However, atazagoraphobia is not a mental disorder recognized by any specialized association.

This is a phobia (a fear that is not rationally justified), which has been described in colloquial and informal language to refer to important ailments related to forgetting ; but which are not necessarily clinically significant. That is, they do not affect the activities or responsibilities considered appropriate for the person in his/her cultural environment.

For the same reason we cannot formally speak of a series of clinical criteria that would 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 be presented?

Returning to the subject of medical conditions related to memory loss, we can consider that atazagoraphobia 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. When diagnosed with a medical condition associated with memory loss

On the one hand, atazagoraphobia may 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. However, the diagnosis itself does not generate an irrational fear .

The latter can occur due to multiple factors, including the emotional and psychological resources of the person receiving the diagnosis; the support network he or she has; and also the quality of the information provided by the doctor, as well as his or her attitude.

That is, if the diagnosis is accompanied by a detailed and truthful explanation of the medical condition and its possible consequences, there is most likely no experience of irrational fear of forgetting. The same thing if the doctor’s attitude is empathetic and patient towards the person he is dealing with.

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

On the other hand, atazagoraphobia can occur in the 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 being cared for will eventually forget them , which may affect both the carer’s identification mechanisms and their daily tasks.

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

Bibliographic references:

  • Kangyj (2015). Athazagoraphobia: phobia of being forgotten or ignored? Recovered 31 July 2018. Available at https://psych2go.net/athazagoraphobia-the-phobia-of-being-forgotten/.
  • Fearof.net (2018). Fear of being forgotten phobia- athazagoraphobia. Retrieved July 31, 2018. Available at https://www.fearof.net/fear-of-being-forgotten-phobia-athazagoraphobia/
  • Staniloio, A. & Markowitsch, 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.