Depression and Memory Loss
Depression affects 3.8 percent of the worldwide population which is about 280 million individuals who suffer from the mental illness. It affects roughly 6% of adults in the age range of 60’s and up. This mental illness occurs in episodes with symptoms of irritability, sadness, loss of interest in activities and projects that used to be entertaining to the person for a duration of two weeks. Some other common symptoms include a lack in concentration and feelings of low self-esteem. One lesser-known symptom of depression is memory loss. The main parts of memory that are lost when a person has depression are declarative and autobiographical memory. Autobiographical memory are past memories of one’s life and declarative memory is comprised of facts and is also known as explicit memory. In recent research, depression has been found to also affect short term memory. For example, the most common thread in a depressive episode is forgetting plans they had made such as dinners or simple tasks such as getting the mail. When a person goes into an episode of depression, the chemical cortisol is released and restricts new brain cells from being created in the hippocampus, which is where memories and organization of those memories are formed. Too much cortisol causes the hippocampus to shrink and not function at top notch, and thus creates a difficulty in retaining memory in a depressive episode. A big factor with memory loss and one that is heavily affected by sleep. With sleep being a major factor in depression being both a symptom and causal factor, the brain isn’t able to recharge and the hippocampus loses necessary new brain cells to aid in retention of short-term memory, planning, and organization.
People who suffer from depression and memory loss as a symptom have found that combatting memory loss and depression through use of tracking and focusing on one task at a time can assist in slowing down and retracing so that the brain has a chance to recover and catch up. This allows the person to slow down and pace themselves without overwhelming their mind. Healthcare representatives have suggested behavioral activation and other forms of psychotherapy that assist in strengthening memory and exploring the individual’s depression. Behavioral activation is the process of working through one’s depression by actively doing positive activities that help the person rewire their thinking process and become more positive in the long run while maintaining those positive activities. These activities could look like doing yoga every morning for one hour or just cooking for oneself one night a week to activate positive responses and help a person through a depressive episode.
Depression affects as many as 5-6% of the world’s population. When experiencing a depressive episode, a person can lose interest in their favorite activities and pass-times as well as lack quality sleep. All of this can contribute to memory loss occurring during depressive episodes because lack or overdosage of cortisol in the hippocampus of the brain causes new braincells to be unable to filter in and help the person retain their memory of dates and events in their lives. Treatment of depression and memory loss has been found through behavioral activation which is the creation of positive thinking through positive action.
Written by Kylie Hamacher, Undergraduate Intern
References
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Depression. World Health Organization. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression#:~:text=Depression%20is%20a%20common%20illness,world%20have%20depression%20(1).
MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Depression and memory loss: Why does it happen? causes and testing. Medical News Today. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/depression-and-memory-loss#memories-affected-by-depression
MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Behavioral activation: How it works, examples, and more. Medical News Today. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/behavioral-activation#how-it-works
Woo, D. D., & Dr. Woo has been seeing patients in private practice since 2002. (2021, October 14). Depression and memory loss: Forgetfulness? Madison Avenue TMS. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.madisonavetms.com/depression-and-memory-loss-does-depression-cause-forgetfulness/
Wetsman, N. (2019). Depression's impact on memory. BrainFacts.org. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.brainfacts.org/diseases-and-disorders/mental-health/2019/depressions-impact-on-memory-022119