Short Term Memory Loss Questions?

Question

I have a few questions about short term memory loss. I think I may have it but I'm not really sure. I always forget things, and never remember where I put stuff. Most of my family can tell I have memory problems but I'm not very sure if I do. I think it would be a waste of time to go to the doctors to get a proper diagnosis just because it's not that serious. Are there any dead on questions I could ask myself to be sure or more positive that I do have suffer from short term memory loss? My other question is, is there a fancy medical term for short term memory loss?

Answer 1

Don't put a term to it or you will not only hinder yourself but you will stunt your growth as far as employment is concerned. Lots of people have short term memory loss and it could be because they are tired from school or working hard, from late night hours and staying up late and not getting enough sleep, not getting enough REM sleep, noise that's wakening them during the night that they're not aware of, stress of people around them having situations or their own situation, etc. Sometimes memory loss is short term and sometimes throughout life and is something you just get used to, take preventative measures like if you forget your keys all the time then put them in your shoes and train yourself to put your shoes by the door so that when you go out the door you'll have both your shoes and your keys. Other people take a notebook everywhere they go and jot down things to remember. Not everyone is perfect, get over yourself.

Answer 2

Look this is apparently a simple question but it is not. What do you mean by short term memory loss? Most people will forget things from time to time. As one gets older it often becomes more pronounced. The things that we forget are sometimes trivial and almost humorous. However they sometimes can be really serious and even embarrassing. I most certainly can think over my life of lots of occasions where I have looked a real idiot. Things like forgetting important meetings or someones name. It is fairly common for my wife and I to turn up in a room and neither of us having any idea why we are there. However most of our friends forget things as well. As far as I know there is no recognized test for identifying people with bad memories.

Answer 3

Hi Jake. There are a battery of tests that can be done to see IF you have the short term memory loss and if you do, how serious it is. It is not a waste of time to go to the Dr. It's very important that you do go. Not just for the proper diagnosis. But for treatment. There ARE medications that can be given to you that might help. My husband has a problem with this and it is a serious matter. If your case isn't severe, there are things that can be done. GO GET HELP, please.....

Answer 4

Memory loss, also referred to as amnesia, is an abnormal degree of forgetfulness and/or inability to recall past events. Depending on the cause, memory loss may have either a sudden or gradual onset, and memory loss may be permanent or temporary. Memory loss may be limited to the inability to recall recent events, events from the distant past, or a combination of both. Although the normal aging process can result in difficulty in learning and retaining new material, normal aging itself is not a cause of significant memory loss unless there is accompanying disease that is responsible for the memory loss.


Transient global amnesia is a rare, temporary, complete loss of all memory. Anterograde amnesia refers to the inability to remember recent events in the aftermath of a trauma, but recollection of events in the distant past in unaltered. Retrograde amnesia is the inability to remember events preceding a trauma, but recall of events afterwards is possible.


Memory loss has multiple causes including a number of chronic medical and psychological conditions, trauma, medications, drug or alcohol abuse, and infections.


Causes of Memory Loss
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Alzheimer's Disease
Brain Tumor
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Dementia
Depression
Drug Abuse
Encephalitis and Meningitis
Epilepsy (Seizure Disorder)
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Parkinson's Disease
Pick Disease
Stroke


Other Causes of Memory Loss
Cerebrovascular disease
Head trauma
Lewy body disease
Malnutrition
Medications
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neurosyphilis
Normal pressure hydrocephalus
Psychological/emotional disturbances
Prolonged toxin exposure
Sleep disorders
Thyroid disease
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
Vitamin deficiencies
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Wilson's disease

It's a normal experience to be forgetful esp if you are distracted, under stress, fatigued, sleep deprived and thus have trouble in concentrating. Your short tem memory loss might also be due to a deficiency in Vit B-12.

Answer 5

Short term memory loss can becaused by a number of reason .For example too much use of alcahol(-Alcaholism-) can be a mojor factor in the equation for short term memory loss but a hit on the head ,nutrition,even your sleep habits can cause memory loss.try factoring in one or more of these factors and change what you are doing and see if that helps.It most diffinatly helped me

Answer 6

there is really no way to tell the brain is very complex doctors are just beginning to understand how it dose all the wonder full things it dose some people can recover fully from the type of damage you describe others don't and many times the doctors aren't sure why just keep spending time with her and talk to her and hope for the best I'm sending healing energy her way good luck

Answer 7

I remember one question the doctors use to find such illness:

try to remember 3 words (example: apple, chair, car).
count: 100-7=? 93-7=? 86-7=? 79-7=?
repeat the three words.

There are alot of such questions, just try to find them on the net, in the books,...

Brenda is right, go to the doctor.

The medical term often refers to the cause of the illnes, in your case you don't know what caused short memory loss.