Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Always Forgetting Things. How To Increase Concentration Power?
Question: Hello,
I am 28 years old married woman. The problem is that I keep forgetting the things that I have to do or take care of or happened even a few minutes ago or talked a few minutes ago. It's not that I permanently forget them. If someone reminds me I am able to recollect it easily. If somebody doesn't remind me, I can still recollect it. When I remember them again, I feel bad that I did not complete them in time.
I have started managing things to do in an application that can remind me of the tasks at hand. But sometimes I forget to do them even after the reminder. This happens for office as well as work at home.
It is embarrassing sometimes when I forget what someone had said or what we talked.
Sometimes I feel this is due to lack of concentration or focus. If I am in a training, I sometimes find it a bit difficult to concentrate.
How can I increase my concentration power and be able to remember things? Please help.
I am 28 years old married woman. The problem is that I keep forgetting the things that I have to do or take care of or happened even a few minutes ago or talked a few minutes ago. It's not that I permanently forget them. If someone reminds me I am able to recollect it easily. If somebody doesn't remind me, I can still recollect it. When I remember them again, I feel bad that I did not complete them in time.
I have started managing things to do in an application that can remind me of the tasks at hand. But sometimes I forget to do them even after the reminder. This happens for office as well as work at home.
It is embarrassing sometimes when I forget what someone had said or what we talked.
Sometimes I feel this is due to lack of concentration or focus. If I am in a training, I sometimes find it a bit difficult to concentrate.
How can I increase my concentration power and be able to remember things? Please help.
Hello
Thanks for using health care magic for posting your query.
I have gone through your query in detail and can can understand what you are going through.
For your age and for the nature of forgetfullness that you have described, it is certain that it is not those big illnesses of forgetting like XXXXXXX dementia"or "alzheimers disease" etc. So you ned not panic.
Secondly you are right that this forgerfullness is more to do with lack of focus and concentration and the most common reason for such things is an unnoticed depression. Suh forgetfullness is called pseudo dementia. You need to treat this depression first to get rid of this pseudo dementia. Escitalopram or sertraline are some good drugs to help you.
Also along wih that try taking a good sleep, exercise regularly, eat fresh vegetables, try some meditation or yoga.
Continue taking notes of the things that you feel you are going to forget and kee it in some noticeable place.
It may take 3 to 4 months of therapy to get rid of this problems on medications.
Hope I was of help to you.
Wish you a spedy recovery.
Regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy
Thanks for using health care magic for posting your query.
I have gone through your query in detail and can can understand what you are going through.
For your age and for the nature of forgetfullness that you have described, it is certain that it is not those big illnesses of forgetting like XXXXXXX dementia"or "alzheimers disease" etc. So you ned not panic.
Secondly you are right that this forgerfullness is more to do with lack of focus and concentration and the most common reason for such things is an unnoticed depression. Suh forgetfullness is called pseudo dementia. You need to treat this depression first to get rid of this pseudo dementia. Escitalopram or sertraline are some good drugs to help you.
Also along wih that try taking a good sleep, exercise regularly, eat fresh vegetables, try some meditation or yoga.
Continue taking notes of the things that you feel you are going to forget and kee it in some noticeable place.
It may take 3 to 4 months of therapy to get rid of this problems on medications.
Hope I was of help to you.
Wish you a spedy recovery.
Regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you so much Dr. XXXXXXX However, could you please help me understand more about the unnoticed depression you talked about? I am usually a happy, energetic and bubbly person. I also try to exercise (well off and on). I don't take much tension about the problems in life and forget them as soon as I get involved in my work or some other discussion. I sleep for more than 8 hours everyday, eat home made food atleast once in a day, eat fruits almost every other day. Yes there is a bit of lack in eating green vegetables, but I still try to eat whatever possible.
So as per me, I am not in a state of depression. I would like to know if there is something that I am unaware of about me.
So as per me, I am not in a state of depression. I would like to know if there is something that I am unaware of about me.
Hello,
Thanks for the details and I would appreciate the importance that you are giving to your health.
At the age of 28 years, anxiety and depression are still the common causes for this kind of forget fullness. The symptoms can be as mild as : not feeling the same amount of pleasure as you used to feel before, reduced interest in your routine activities, reduced concentration (which you do have), non -refreshing sleep. The best way to confirm the presence of depression or anxiety will be to show yourself to a psychiatrist who would like to evaluate in detail.
If not depression/anxiety, then as i said before you tend to forget the things which you don't feel are important. Keeping a list of things, taking some extra time in registering the things in your memory are certain things that can help you. I am not suggesting that you do have depression/anxiety for sure, but nothing wrong in getting evaluated ones.
Secondly, the other possibility is adult attention deficit disorder. Such people also have similar problems and can be treated with drugs like bupropion or methylphenidate. Again the same has to be confirmed by a psychiatrist who will do a detialed mental state examination.
Hope I am able to help you,
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback.
In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:
bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy
Wish you good health,
Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
Thanks for the details and I would appreciate the importance that you are giving to your health.
At the age of 28 years, anxiety and depression are still the common causes for this kind of forget fullness. The symptoms can be as mild as : not feeling the same amount of pleasure as you used to feel before, reduced interest in your routine activities, reduced concentration (which you do have), non -refreshing sleep. The best way to confirm the presence of depression or anxiety will be to show yourself to a psychiatrist who would like to evaluate in detail.
If not depression/anxiety, then as i said before you tend to forget the things which you don't feel are important. Keeping a list of things, taking some extra time in registering the things in your memory are certain things that can help you. I am not suggesting that you do have depression/anxiety for sure, but nothing wrong in getting evaluated ones.
Secondly, the other possibility is adult attention deficit disorder. Such people also have similar problems and can be treated with drugs like bupropion or methylphenidate. Again the same has to be confirmed by a psychiatrist who will do a detialed mental state examination.
Hope I am able to help you,
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback.
In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:
bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy
Wish you good health,
Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
