December 13th, 2024

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Forgetfulness can be precipitated by:

 

Addiction Alcohol Anxiety Depression Grief Heart Disease Loneliness Medications Nutrition Stroke


worried woman in bed

Gretchen Heuring

Anxiety and Worry

Effect Memory

By | 6.11.2014

 

My neighbor Sandy worries about everything. She worries about each and every household duty, if there is enough gas in the car, if her husband is late, if her socks are the wrong color, endlessly she worries. I think it must be in her nature to worry a lot.

 

Dr. Deborah Khoshaba writes in Psychology Today: "There are people whose physical makeup predisposes them to chronic anxiety. This is called GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)." Dr. Khoshaba goes on to explain that anxiety is normally a way to understand threats and prepare for them. People who have GAD are not getting a warning about anything specific so there is no way for them to put an end to their anxiety.

 

Sometimes GAD is provoked by an event such as the death of a loved one, or some other loss. The symptoms can spiral out of control so the person is unable to make decisions or manage everyday activities.

 

We older people certainly have plenty of events in our lives that could provoke an anxious response. People we love most die or move away, we have a fall and are scared to do things we love to do, and we can develop later-life illnesses that are lasting.

 

Memory loss is a usual anxiety symptom. The person loses track of where things belong, where they were left, and sometimes what they are called. Sometimes the person describes things in a round about fashion because he just can't remember the names for them. Anxiety is like being in a panic all of the time.

 

The most immediate treatment for anxiety disorder is medication. The idea is to reduce symptoms enough so the person can develop healthier coping strategies. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibors (SSRIs) are usually the first choice even though they are typically used as anti-depressants. Other drugs used to treat anxiety are Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Klonopin). This second class of drugs can have unhealthy side effects and my require close monitoring.

 

There are therapies for anxiety that are quite effective. These therapies teach a person to calm the brain and body and learn better coping behaviors. This helps with long term results. So as my friend Ella says, trust your doctor, take your recommended meds, and see a therapist.

 

 

This Emotional Life DVD

PBS Series:

This Emotional Life DVD

Hosted by Dr. Daniel Gilbert,

Harvard psychologist and author.

The series addresses issu... [More]

Price: 24.99

 

 

chicken and egg

Ella

Which Came First: Memory Loss or Anxiety?

By | 6.11.2014

 

Scientists are not sure whether anxiety (also called "stress") causes or results in memory loss.

 

Frankly, I don't believe this is an "either-or" situation. Both could certainly be true. If I thought I was losing my memories, I would be understandably worried and anxious. On the other hand, memory loss is a symptom of anxiety.

 

Jim Folk, President of the Anxiety Center says: "You may start something and uncharacteristically forget what you were doing soon after. You may also have difficulty remembering where you placed things, who you just called, what you just talked about, or what you were looking for or thinking about. You uncharacteristically may have difficulty remembering what you just ate, phone numbers, names, or things you recently did. Things that you would normally not forget, you now do."

 

Now we older people know that when we were younger and had demanding jobs, busy family lives and never enough money, we were truly stressed and always losing our car keys or sunglasses. But now we are retired, the kids have those old worries and we are supposed to be relaxed and enjoying life. So why are we anxious now?

 

Well anxiety is an automatic response. We don't wish to have it. So we need to learn to manage it. Take a deep breath, and make an appointment with your doctor. When the nosy reseptionist wants to know why you need the appointment, just tell her you want to have a discussion with your doctor. Go on. You won't start to feel better until you make that call.

 

A Guided Meditation

for Anxiety and Stress

(Free-it's from YouTube)