Unfortunately no effective treatments for the disorder exist. Current research is focusing on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a potential treatment of this pervasive disorder. Scientists and clinicians are also closely investigating the related non-pathological condition, tip of the tongue, to aid in further research into this condition.
Lethologica was first identified as a serious, debilitating disorder by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung in 1913 in his Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido (The Psychology of the Unconscious). Detailed studies of the disorder were first carried out by American psychiatrists in the 1950s. Current research identifies the ailment as extremely prevalent but also highly variable in its severity of manifestation. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “9 out of 10 Westerners will suffer some form of Lethologica during their lifetimes.”
The word lethologica is derived from the Greek language terms for forgetfulness (λήθη, lēthē) and word (λόγος, logos). Lēthē originates from Greek mythology; the Lethe (or River of Oblivion) was one of the rivers that flowed through the realm of Hades, from which the shades of the dead were forced to drink in order to forget their past lives on Earth.
