Memory Loss

I am an 18 year old male who is currently studying at University. It has only recently dawned on me that my memory is awful. Not only do I freqeuently forget what I have done say, a few days ago, but it goes back as far as when I was young. It doesnt seem to be me just forgetting things, it is everything. Being asked to remember quite important things in my life and I struggle to tell them. I am also concerned that I may have signs of both ADD and Osessive-compulsive disorder as well. I frequently find myself daydreaming in most things I do, even if I would normally find these subjects interesting, while I also am very often finding myself making strange shapes with say my body or an object of some kind. I am sure that these are just small aspects of any kind of disorder which I am unlikely to have, and I would add other 'rituals' I do if I could remember them, however I am merely seeking an opinion on these and if there is anything I should do about them?

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

You may be correct about the ADD part. The human memory functions are pretty much like the computer. The part to be remembered (memorized) is like a bit of information. When you store information in the Hippocampus and related areas including the cerebral cortex, there are certain tags (keywords) attached to the information. These tags could be words, pictures, sounds, colors, etc.

When we have to retrieve information from the memory, our mind looks for the tags. Once the tag is found, the information flows out.

The human mind is like a wax cube. And the memory is any imprint you make on the wax cube!

In ADD, the process of attaching tags to information is faulty. There is no time for it. The mind is so much distracted, the memory circuits do not get sufficient time to attach tags to the information and save it in memory. In most cases, the information is not understood.

If there is a faulty storage, retrieval will also be faulty.

There are some other symptoms of ADD which you should watch out for. There's a constant feeling of not being able to achieve in spite of having the ability. Depression is one of the side effects, to say the least. There is difficulty planning events, carrying out orders which are complex in nature.

As far as OCD is concerned, I would suggest you not to consider it a disorder unless it has created a significant distress in your personal and social life. You may have certain OC traits. Day dreaming is a part of your ADD.

What you can do is pretty simple. Find some time and plan a visit to a psychologist or preferably a psychiatrist. Do not worry about any further procedures. The psychiatrist will only help you overcome your difficulties.

Let me know.

Regards