ABSTRACT
Throughout this book investigations are described into how and why personal memories associated with national traumatic events seem more vivid and somehow frozen in time compared to memories of ordinary events. However, not all individuals show the same reaction to traumatic events. Some individuals, such as those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, exhibit problems of impaired memory. Other individuals, such as those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, experience memories that are too vivid or recurrent. In this chapter we will discuss how memory for national traumatic events relates to these and other disorders. It should be noted that very few studies have evaluated memory for national traumatic events in clinical populations. This chapter will focus on those important studies.
