Today, I called off sick from work and decided to watch a movie. As I was looking at all my movies on the shelf I came across 50 First Dates (2004). I have not watched the movie since it came out. Wait a minute; is this movie seriously 10 years old!? Upon realizing how long ago the movie was released and how little I remember it, I decided this was the perfect movie for a sick day.
The film stars probably one of the best romantic comedy duos, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. Drew Barrymore’s character, named Lucy, obtained a brain injury from a car accident, which ultimately affected her short-term memory. Her doctor said she suffers from “Goldfield Syndrome”. Lucy still has all her long-term memory, but she wakes up every day thinking it’s October 13th of the previous year, right before her accident. Every single day she basically relives the same day: Goes to the local cafe, celebrates her father’s birthday, and paints the entire garage. Everyone who knows Lucy tries to protect her from the harsh reality of her condition, and tries to make life as simple as possible for her. Then Adam Sandler’s character, named Henry, enters the picture. Henry is automatically attracted to her after seeing her at the cafe, and he will do anything he can to be with her.
While watching the movie I had to think about ever hearing the condition called “Goldfield Syndrome”. From what I recalled from taking so many psychology courses, I don’t remember ever hearing of such a thing. With a little bit of research, I found that “Goldfield Syndrome” is in fact not a real medical condition. It was just a made up medical impairment for the movie. Stephan Juan, Ph. D., an anthropologist from the University of Sydney, wrote an article in response to the question of: Could Drew Barrymore’s memory loss in 50 First Dates really happen? Within the article, Juan references Dr. Catherine Myers numerous times when addressing whether or not “Goldfield Syndrome” is real. Dr. Catherine Myers states that 50 First Dates combined two real memory loss conditions, which are Organic Amnesia (OA) and Psychogenic Amnesia (PA). The first condition, Organic Amnesia (OA) is short-term memory loss due to brain injury. According to Myers, “The most obvious symptom is forgetting. New information fades from memory within a few seconds. Old memories, such as those from childhood, are retained as well as they are in people normally. In OA, brain damage is permanent, so is the syndrome” (Juan). Myers also states that Psychogenic Amnesia (PA) is “the loss of one’s identity and personal history without obvious brain injury. It is believed that PA results from psychological stress, and it is exceedingly rare” (Juan). Myers also adds that there is a third “general class of amnesia” called Limited Retrograde Amnesia, or LRA. According to Myers, “LRA is a temporary loss of the ability to store new memories as a result of brain injury” (Juan). She also states, “LRA is not particularly life-impairing since old memories are fine as the ability to to form new memories – only the limited time is lost forever” (Juan).
It seems as if Hollywood really tried to make the audience believe Lucy’s syndrome was real to keep their desired plot of the story. What they really did was take bits and pieces of different memory loss conditions and mix them all together to create this fabricated “Goldfield Syndrome”. A lesson is to be learned to not always believe in what you see or hear in movies because in this instance many people believe there’s probably an actually condition called “Goldfield Syndrome”. However, despite of the false medical condition, if you’re looking for an enjoyable romantic comedy, may I suggest 50 First Dates.
Works Cited
Juan, Stephen, Ph.D. “Could Drew Barrymore’s Memory Loss in 50 First Dates Really Happen?”. The Register. N.p., 06 May 2006. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/06/the_odd_body_amnesia/>