Page 98 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

Page 87

Insomnia commonly worsens stress and vice versa. Melatonin (discussed in a later chapter) or
other over-the-counter sedatives should be considered only after the above approaches have been
tried and have failed. If sleep difficulties persist for more than a few weeks, go see your doctor.

Depression and Memory

Depression is a common reversible cause of memory loss. Depressed people are often slow in their
thought processes, and some find it difficult to retrieve memories. Depression causes a deficit in
attention, and hence new information is not registered properly, so attempts at recall often fail
because the external stimulus— meeting someone for the first time, for example— isn't recorded as a
permanent memory in the brain. These two symptoms— slowing down of thought processes and poor
attention— underlie memory loss in depression.

When Depression Strikes at Memory: Joan's Story

Joan Marciano, a fifty-six-year-old divorced woman living alone, walked slowly into my office and
took her time sitting down. She worked in the casual wear section at a department store and said that
she could no longer keep track of how clothes were organized in the various racks.

‘‘I just can't seem to do my job. My memory is failing me,” she said, straightening out a wrinkle in
her navy blue skirt. “The young folks quietly help me out whenever I have a customer. Especially
Maria, she's only twenty-one. I'm afraid that if Maria leaves, the others may not help me as much and
I'll lose my job. And I'm barely getting by now, as it is.”

She seemed listless and said that her physical energy was down. When I asked if she had ever
been diagnosed or treated for depression, she was puzzled.

“I'm not sure what you mean by depression, doctor. I don't feel sad or blue. It's just a lack of
feeling. I have no feelings at all.”

This was a dead giveaway. Though we usually think of feeling sad or down or blue as being
typical of clinical “major” depression, some depressed patients instead report a loss of all feelings in
their lives.