Does remembering the past affect peoples quality of life?
The relationship between memory for the past (autobiographical memory), depression and quality of life (QoL) was investigated in a study of thirty individuals with severe neurodisability resulting from multiple sclerosis (Kenealy, Beaumont, Lintern, & Murrell, 2000). It seemed important to assess autobiographical memory as many researchers agree that QoL is dependent on an individual’s past experience, present lifestyle, and future ambitions; forgetting one’s past could play an important role in how a person perceives their current QoL. In our study about two-thirds (60%) of patients were found to have deficits in autobiographical memory for incidents in their earlier life and difficulty remembering facts from their past life (personal semantic memory). These deficits were not related to age, age of onset, duration of illness, or level of physical ability, but were related to level of general cognitive ability. Assessment of episodic and personal semantic memory across three lifespan p
