Ever thought if instances of forgetting important things mean your memory is fading, regardless of what stage and age you are in? You meet someone at a marketplace, exchange hellos but can't place a name to the person. You enter your kitchen but can't recall why you went there. You are helping someone with a street address but can't recall the street name. You reach work just to realise that you forgot your laptop back home. If such instances seem familiar, you have in all likelihood asked yourself if you are forgetting too much, too often.
If you are young, you probably won't worry about such lapses, but as age catches up, thus arrives the big question - Is Your Brain Degenerating? Have you arrived the stage of mental deterioration?
While some brain changes happen with age but how soon such changes are happening are important to be observed to deal with it at the right time. First up, not all memory related issue indicate dementia. Dr. V. P. Singh, Chairman, Institute of Neurosciences, Medanta says, "There is nothing as normal forgetfulness. Having said that, it needs to be kept in mind that some forgetfulness and absent mindedness are expected with age and senility, eg. forgetting name of some politician, or forgetting the name of a place visited few years back and so on. This is usually taken as normal. Also in the present world people resort to multitasking and the capacity of the brain to retain all tasks at a given particular time is limited depending upon various factors and hence some tasks might not be retained and hence forgotten.
There are certain mental abilities, which stay intact with regular ageing and can be a key indicator to your mental prowess.
- Things you have always done and still continue to do (your daily habits, routine)
- Knowledge acquired through years of experience
- Your common sense and ability to present logical arguments.
According to Dr Rajesh Goel, consultant psychiatrist, Gangaram Hospital and President of Delhi Psychiatric Society, "Many people who feel they are becoming more forgetful have psuedo-dementia. It is prevalent among people who multi-task, suffer from anxiety or depression, and can also happen due to sleep deprivation. Furthermore, hormonal issues can also make one forgetful, like thyroid fluctuations etc."
When does memory loss become dangerous?
Sudden bouts of memory loss are dangerous, especially if they interfere with your daily functioning and start to gradually decline your abilities to get through a day.
Below is a comparative chart of what's normal and what's not:
Occasional memory loss without affecting your regular activities
Can tell episodes of forgetfulness
Don't get lost in familiar places but may sometimes pause to remember directions
Can hold a normal conversation but may sometimes find it tough to find the right word
Can take decisions the same as always
You find it tough to perform day-to-day tasks like dressing, paying bills or washing and forget things that you have been doing all your life
Can't recall instances when you lost your memory
Can't follow directions and often gets lost even in familiar spaces
Can't hold a conversation and forget words or jumble their use. Repeat certain phrases
May face issues in decision making, ending up socially awkward