Depression and anxiety are two widespread mental health conditions. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression, while more than 30 million have an anxiety disorder.
Dealing with these issues alone is hard for anyone. But a side effect many don’t understand is that depression and anxiety can significantly impact your memory function.
Depression
Depression is a common mental health condition that can cause memory loss. Depression affects your mood, motivation, and ability to think clearly. It also impacts the way that you process information in your brain.
Depression causes changes in the hippocampus (the part of your brain responsible for long-term memories) and other parts involved with learning new things or recalling old ones.
These changes may make it harder for someone who has depression to remember things they once knew well. For example, where they parked their car or what happened at work last week.
On top of that, it will be even harder for them to learn new information like names and faces or how to tie their shoes again if those skills have been lost through lack of use over time due to illness or injury before being diagnosed as having clinical depression now.
Anxiety
If you’re suffering from anxiety, it can be challenging to remember what you did yesterday or even why. You may forget important people and places, not because they aren’t necessary but because your brain has been preoccupied with thoughts of worry.
Anxiety can cause memory loss in several ways:
- Forgetting things that are not related to anxiety (e.g., forgetting someone’s name)
- Forgetting things that are related to anxiety (e.g., forgetting where one lives)
These types of memory loss often occur when a person is preoccupied with their worries about the future; this means that if someone has experienced some kind of traumatic event like an accident or death in their family members’ lives, then their minds will tend towards focusing on these events rather than remembering happier times from before the incident occurred – which means less focus on other aspects such as hobbies or interests away from home life.
How Mental Health Can Cause Memory Loss
Memory loss is a common symptom of mental health disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s. Here’s why:
The way we process information in our brains is complex, but one thing that helps us do that is called long-term potentiation (LTP). LTP is the process by which neurons send signals back and forth to each other in the brain and create a memory. The more often neurons fire together at once, the stronger their connection becomes, and the more likely they will fire together again later.
When someone has memory problems due to mental illness, their memories are not as strong or as easily triggered as they should be. This can happen for several reasons: for example, if someone with depression experiences stresses or trauma, it could cause neurons to stop firing together as much as before—which means less LTP occurs.
How to Improve Memory Function
If you’re dealing with mental health issues that are affecting your memory, there are many things that you can do to improve that function.
As with any health issue, you must talk to your doctor about how depression affects your memory and what treatment options are available. However, here are some of the best alternatives to seeing a physician.
- Eat healthy foods that contain antioxidants (like fruits and vegetables), B vitamins (such as fish), omega-3 fatty acids (in walnuts), or flavonoids (found in tea). These nutrients have all been linked with better mental functioning and reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease later in life; however, there isn’t enough evidence yet about whether taking supplements can help protect against memory loss due to depression now.”
- Meditation and mindfulness practices can help reduce stress, which is one of the leading causes of poor memory.
- Deep breathing is also effective in reducing stress levels and improving overall health.
- Exercise has been shown to increase blood flow throughout the body, including the brain; this improves concentration and focus while also strengthening neural connections that support memory formation and recall.
- Relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation can be used daily as an overall strategy for managing anxiety symptoms by giving yourself time each day for therapeutic activities such as reading books or listening to music–anything other than worrying about things!
Trust Dr. Ramos with Your Mental Health
If you’re experiencing memory loss, it’s crucial to get help. Depression and anxiety are both treatable conditions and often have similar symptoms.
If you think either of these conditions may affect your memory function or have other concerns about your mental health, please contact Dr. Faride Ramos today to schedule a consultation.
