Aa
Do I have a spatial memory or some other mental disorder?
Hi,
I am concerned about something that is somewhat debilitating to me. I have never been good about remembering details such as names, dates, quotes, facial recognition etc. I also have absolutely no sense of direction. I know it is common for people to say they lack these skills, but I lack them to a huge and embarrassing extent.
I could be in a room talking to somebody new. I could have an hour long conversation with them, and there is a good chance that if I walked out of the room and somebody wanted to know the name, hometown, or occupation of my new acquaintance I would have no clue. Even worse yet, I would likely struggle to recall what their face looked like. I might be able to tell you what color shirt they were wearing and a little about their personality, and generalized ideas (but not specific details) of what we talked about.
If I were to be driven somewhere new in my hometown, even if I paid careful attention to how I got there, I would have no chance of finding my way home without getting lost unless I had some sort of visual cue that I am very familiar with (a street or tall building I am very familiar with etc.). I have no idea of where North, South, East, and West is unless I am able to figure it out logically based on a visual cue. Obviously driving on any kind of a road trip by myself is a huge challenge.
I often find my wife often trying not to laugh at me if I happen to be in the car trying to sing along to one of my favorite songs on the radio because, even though I know the tune of the song very well, I still don't know a lot of the correct words (and I am talking about songs that I should know very well word for word).
Not to sound boastful, but I am somebody that others generally consider intellegent, so I don't think it is due to a lack of intelligence or anything like that. I guess I am just hoping to gain a better understanding of why I am the way I am. Thanks in advance!
Eric
I am concerned about something that is somewhat debilitating to me. I have never been good about remembering details such as names, dates, quotes, facial recognition etc. I also have absolutely no sense of direction. I know it is common for people to say they lack these skills, but I lack them to a huge and embarrassing extent.
I could be in a room talking to somebody new. I could have an hour long conversation with them, and there is a good chance that if I walked out of the room and somebody wanted to know the name, hometown, or occupation of my new acquaintance I would have no clue. Even worse yet, I would likely struggle to recall what their face looked like. I might be able to tell you what color shirt they were wearing and a little about their personality, and generalized ideas (but not specific details) of what we talked about.
If I were to be driven somewhere new in my hometown, even if I paid careful attention to how I got there, I would have no chance of finding my way home without getting lost unless I had some sort of visual cue that I am very familiar with (a street or tall building I am very familiar with etc.). I have no idea of where North, South, East, and West is unless I am able to figure it out logically based on a visual cue. Obviously driving on any kind of a road trip by myself is a huge challenge.
I often find my wife often trying not to laugh at me if I happen to be in the car trying to sing along to one of my favorite songs on the radio because, even though I know the tune of the song very well, I still don't know a lot of the correct words (and I am talking about songs that I should know very well word for word).
Not to sound boastful, but I am somebody that others generally consider intellegent, so I don't think it is due to a lack of intelligence or anything like that. I guess I am just hoping to gain a better understanding of why I am the way I am. Thanks in advance!
Eric
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
What you have described so well is not a known disorder of any kind that I am familiar with. that does not mean you can't get some help with this. The way to do that would be through a consultation with a good creative neuropsychologist who can do some testing and help pin point what is happening.there are various training program that might be prescribed.
P.S. I was just looking at the subject and it lacks clarity. I realize that spatial memory is not a disorder. I actually meant to ask if I had some sort of spatial memory disorder or some other form of mental disorder.
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