What Causes Forgetfulness?
There are so many medical reasons and contributing factors to why someone might become forgetful that it's surprising we remember anything at all. The cause of forgetfulness can run the gamut from being overwhelmed with responsibility and demands to having Alzheimer's. At times, we don't pay close enough attention or aren't fully listening to instructions so it's not that we forget what we're supposed to do, we simply didn't "hear" the directions in the first place. Other times we are so distracted by everything that is going on around us that we are on overload and have too much to remember and can't. And then there are the organic reasons, brought on by disease, that result in forgetfulness.
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Migraines; Marijuana
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If you suffer from migraine headaches, you may experience a migraine "stupor" at the onset of the headache and afterward and this can result in confusion and forgetfulness, according to Wrong Diagnosis (See Reference 1). If a person has a hard-core marijuana habit, he might have difficulty remembering what day it is, let alone important facts. Marijuana use leads to impaired memory and thinking, impaired coordination and lack of concentration, among many other outcomes, which leads to poor school or work performance (See Resource).
Menopause; Alzheimer's; Head Injury
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If you are peri-menopausal or menopausal, you may be experiencing a myriad of symptoms that are the result of drastic hormonal shifts. Among those symptoms is forgetfulness, inability to concentrate and memory impairment. Alzheimer's disease (See References 1), which is a form of dementia, wreaks havoc on an individual's brain and results in forgetfulness and confusion. A head injury, where the brain has sustained trauma, can result in memory loss and forgetfulness.
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Hypothyoidism; Alcoholism; Depression
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Hypothyroidism, when your thyroid isn't producing enough of the thyroid hormone, can take its toll and result in an inability to remember. If a person is struggling with alcoholism, her brain and body are going to be hard hit by booze. Brain cells are lost due to excessive alcohol intake. She might suffer from blackouts and be unable to remember what happened during the blackout period. She probably won't be able to remember anything she was told when she was in a drunken stupor. Depression will cause loss of interest in everything so don't be surprised if the depressed person you are communicating with, or are trying to communicate with, doesn't remember what you have said to him. He will be distracted by his own overwhelming thoughts of hopelessness, anxiety, misery and feelings of worthlessness.
Gender
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Dr. Daniel G. Amen (See References 3) maintains that the brains of men and women are significantly different and this is shown through brain imaging. Not only are men more likely to become cognitively impaired as they age but they tend to be more forgetful than women. As Dr. Amen puts it, the genders are wired differently. He explains that a woman's brain is very active, always thinking, whereas a man's brain is quiet in comparison, adding that a man's brain needs stimulation but a woman's doesn't.
Two Types of Memory
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According to Scientific American (See Reference 2), there are two types of memory: Short-term memory, or working memory, which contains information about the things that we are presently thinking about and long-lasting memory, where vasts amounts of life-time information and experience are stored. These two memory systems differ in that the working memory gives us very focused details about our present thoughts whereas the other type of memory, long-term, hands us a fuzzy picture of experiences and information from our past. If a person experienced something 20 years ago, she might remember it, but she will not able to give concise details about the long-ago event.
Everyone Is Different
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Some people have an amazing ability for recall and never seem to forget anything, while others can't remember what day of the week of it is. Some of this simply might be genetic- or gender-based or a learned skill. Sometimes "forgetting" is just a convenient excuse for not doing what you were supposed to do (think teenagers!) An individual might be hard-pressed to remember what he ate for lunch but can tell you specifics about an incident that occurred 50 years ago.
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