Forgetfulness and Anxiety
A recent news broadcast brought to mind something that is of interest to all of us; when is it Alzheimer's and when is it anxiety-evoked forgetfulness? The speaker was attempting to respond to questions from the audience, an audience of people well-known to him. He couldn't remember one person's name and asked for the fellow to say his name. The man did and the speaker said, "Yeah, I knew that. I just wanted to know if you knew that."
Sounded very much like a patient I saw. She had Alzheimer's and when I asked her name she turned to me and said, "See that man sitting in the hall? Well, my name is the same as his." It was her husband. The difference between Alzheimer's and anxiety-related forgetting is both interesting and of great concern to me and other clinicians.
My work with patients with Alzheimer's Disease made me more aware of the concerns and the ability to try to cover up memory problems. We know that anxiety leads to a decreased ability to concentrate and, therefore, problems in memory. It's a natural part of life, but as we approach our sixth decade of life, our concerns, and those of our family and friends, may tend more to see memory lapses as signs of impending dementia. Don't be predisposed to that kind of thinking.
Anyone can have lapses in memory and it can happen at any time. Have you ever found yourself walking down the street where you were stopped by someone who greeted you and you couldn't remember their name? It happened to me just the other day as I walked up to an attorney I've known for many years. He and his wife were about to enter a theatre for a performance and I walked up and greeted both of them. He smiled, but I knew he couldn't remember my name and, for a moment, I had forgotten his wife's name. Neither of us let on what was happening and as we chatted, he remembered who I was and I remembered his wife's name.
Medications can also cause problems in memory, so don't be quick to offer up a diagnosis of "old timer's disease," as one of my patients called it. Give yourself time, think of cues that might help you recall what you need and understand that it's normal not to remember everyone and everything.
Related Topics: Is Your Memory Normal?, Apple Juice May Boost Memory
Technorati Tags: Alzheimers, memory loss, anxiety
Sounded very much like a patient I saw. She had Alzheimer's and when I asked her name she turned to me and said, "See that man sitting in the hall? Well, my name is the same as his." It was her husband. The difference between Alzheimer's and anxiety-related forgetting is both interesting and of great concern to me and other clinicians.
My work with patients with Alzheimer's Disease made me more aware of the concerns and the ability to try to cover up memory problems. We know that anxiety leads to a decreased ability to concentrate and, therefore, problems in memory. It's a natural part of life, but as we approach our sixth decade of life, our concerns, and those of our family and friends, may tend more to see memory lapses as signs of impending dementia. Don't be predisposed to that kind of thinking.
Anyone can have lapses in memory and it can happen at any time. Have you ever found yourself walking down the street where you were stopped by someone who greeted you and you couldn't remember their name? It happened to me just the other day as I walked up to an attorney I've known for many years. He and his wife were about to enter a theatre for a performance and I walked up and greeted both of them. He smiled, but I knew he couldn't remember my name and, for a moment, I had forgotten his wife's name. Neither of us let on what was happening and as we chatted, he remembered who I was and I remembered his wife's name.
Medications can also cause problems in memory, so don't be quick to offer up a diagnosis of "old timer's disease," as one of my patients called it. Give yourself time, think of cues that might help you recall what you need and understand that it's normal not to remember everyone and everything.
Related Topics: Is Your Memory Normal?, Apple Juice May Boost Memory
Technorati Tags: Alzheimers, memory loss, anxiety
6 Comments:
Dr. Farrell,
How do you, as a clinician, distinguish between alzheimer's and anxiety-evoked forgetfulness?
Has anyone done MRI's to compare the two?
I enjoy your blogs. They are always interesting and thought-provoking.
~Tasker
To tell you the truth? I realize how much my sister who is a judge relies up the kind of all or nothing title which she carries. She just doesns't have to use names. The attornies who come into her courtroom now call her "Judge []" and she says "hi" generically to them. THEY remember her name - which irritates me no end since she has a high position and I however - the one with the mental disorder? - enjoy my very able ability to remember names. After all? Doesn't it say in the Bible somewhere how important it is to "call" someone by their own name?
Well, I don't know about Bible passages, but I do know that for my entire life I have struggled with trying to remember people's names. I've come to terms with it after I've tried all the memory tips. They just don't seem to work for me. So, I like your sister, gkk, use "hi, my friend" or something to that effect when I can't remember someone's name.
Alzheimer's can be assessed by looking at neurological testing done over time. The SDAT patients get progressively worse. Go to my website (www.drfarrell.net) and look for The Nun Study. It's a very informative short movie and will give you a better idea of how they assess it. The National Institute on Aging has the original, longer, movie featuring Dr. David Snowden of the U. of KY.
MRI's really don't tell us more than how the brain looks, not how it works. For that we need tagged glucose and PET scans--prohibitively expensive. I've seen this done and it's amazing, but it's only in clinical trials for medications because of the expense.
Take a look at my Amazon blog, too. I do it a bit differently, but I think you'll find it similarly enjoyable.
Hey, Tasker, taking that trip?
Dear Dr. Farrell, Would you know if an elderly patient suffering from Alzheimer's Disease or a related dementia, could experience an Anxiety attack? Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks,
LAR
hello im 63 years old scared because my attention span is less every day sometimes less than min.
I stress way to much, I should enjoy life! This causes me to eat, and overwork! I am a workaholic!
Post a Comment