The movie image of forgetting everything about your personal past but remembering everything to do with daily functioning is a myth. Most amnesia is due to physical causes. However, it is common to experience a certain amount of memory loss around a severe injury. For example, many people involved in a severe car accident may experience both types of amnesia. This does not necessarily indicate any severe or lasting damage.
Many people experience a certain amount of amnesia after surgery.
TGA is caused by a problem related to blood flow in the brain. It may happen to someone only once or many times. Another type of amnesia is psychogenic amnesia. This is amnesia caused by a psychological trauma. People with this amnesia may forget events around a terrible incident, such as witnessing the violent death of a loved one.