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Yeah not a fan of this, tbh. I live with ADHD and I don't view it as a memory issue, though memory processing can certainly be strongly affected by it.
But it is not the process of having trouble retaining memory in of itself. https://twitter.com/AlexBDent/status/1311644322870292482
But it is not the process of having trouble retaining memory in of itself. https://twitter.com/AlexBDent/status/1311644322870292482
Frankly, I don't even like the term memory loss because even when I have a blank on something (I thought) I stored and perpetuated as long term memory it eventually comes back up.
Often when I don't wrack my brain trying to find it nor when I actually need it on hand.
Often when I don't wrack my brain trying to find it nor when I actually need it on hand.
The way I see it, the mind of an ADHD person (I can only speak for myself) is susceptible to hyperactivity of multiple thoughts, ideas, and memories getting prioritized yet disorganized. Maintaining a memory bank is like any other job or basic motor function for daily routines.
All too often, this means things will get left unfiled, and that's when they recede too far into your subconscious to dig them back up unless you just give your mind a break.
That's what causes the fatigue leading to "memory loss" but I don't like that wording at all.
That's what causes the fatigue leading to "memory loss" but I don't like that wording at all.
ADHD does NOT induce amnesia, and I don't think it's a good idea to imply that it does by calling it a memory processing disorder.
Tho it's definitely not impossible to actually lose memory but that's moreso because you didn't spend the time storing data in a long-term format.
Tho it's definitely not impossible to actually lose memory but that's moreso because you didn't spend the time storing data in a long-term format.
As a concept, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the general process of converting memory into long-term information to be stored within the brain permanently all people must go through, my psychology class explained it by putting emphasis on studying for a test.
I think most of us understand why studying is important and schools spend your entire childhood and adolescence/early adulthood drilling that into you.
But why is it so critical to study routinely instead only doing it once or twice before actually taking the test?
But why is it so critical to study routinely instead only doing it once or twice before actually taking the test?
Because it's highly unlikely that you'll even be able to retain or even dredge up the faintest amount of relevant info when you need it if you didn't do all the necessary mental paperwork to record, COPY/replicate, file and store the memory of what you gained from studying.
If you can't sit still for a long period of time or read/record the same thing over and over again without having your mind end up on a completely unrelated yet no less important to you subject/concept that you want to process and retain as well, then this is EXHAUSTING.
But, the thing is, everyone has to go through that. Not just neurotypicals.
So this idea isn't exclusive or even directly related to ADHD which is why it's not very helpful to define and describe it that way.
So this idea isn't exclusive or even directly related to ADHD which is why it's not very helpful to define and describe it that way.
It's the idea that you are constantly processing MULTIPLE groups of information and ideas/memories SIMULTANEOUSLY.
That's what causes the fatigue, and the inability to retain certain memories the moment that your mind needs to obtain them for whatever you're currently doing.
That's what causes the fatigue, and the inability to retain certain memories the moment that your mind needs to obtain them for whatever you're currently doing.
It extends to conversations with people where you need to know how to respond or what the topic you even wanna bring up is and HOW you're going to phrase it, focusing your mind on one or two ideas relevant and NOTHING else takes precedence.
You'll need to do it to keep track of your to do lists (which is why it's so important to write down everything when you wake up and constantly look them over, something I'm terrible at) and established tasks that you said you were gonna work on/continue doing throughout the day.
You need memory processing, converting and storing short-term knowledge recently obtained or accessing older pre-processed but not always replicated memories, for every single aspect of your waking life.
Some people can do things spontaneously, but many cannot.
Some people can do things spontaneously, but many cannot.
And very often the people who are asked to take on multiple tasks at once and think about/process multiple things, are all too susceptible to getting distracted and adding on more, less relevant things that your brain can't keep track of.
Spongebob shows us what happens then.
Spongebob shows us what happens then.
It is the absolute worst thing that can ever happen to you short of actually getting sick and dying, or being put through physical pain (which can be induced by these scenarios when the fatigue just grabs every part of your body because you just can't work anymore).
I struggle with this every waking hour of my life. My brain processes innumerable things at once even when I am supposed to be focusing on one or two, especially while doing work or having conversations with people about a very specific topic.
But I have my own metaphor.
But I have my own metaphor.
When I personally process information and memory both long-form and short-form/spontaneously acquired from life experiences and reading things I'm unfamiliar with and/or talking to other people, I'm actually doing this by seeing multiple TV screens in my head at the same time.
Exactly like that gif of a security guard watching the screens in his office broadcasting feeds from all of the cameras installed in the building he's supposed to be overseeing/protecting!
I would be TERRIBLE at doing that kind of job myself though.
I would be TERRIBLE at doing that kind of job myself though.
Sometimes, it can be either too hard to pull away from the main screen my mind was absorbing the most (even if I was looking at all of them at once) and move my attention to the others without forgetting what was on the screen I processed earlier while doing that.
And then, the screens I WASN'T fixating on end up blurring in my head so that I don't even know/can't see what exactly I'm thinking about outside of whatever I'm doing at that current moment, like how I am only focusing on writing this thread right now and nothing else.
Once the thread is done and I don't feel the need to read over what was written, the other screens will fade back into the forefront and become clearer and brighter. But the process might repeat, and I might end up writing another thread/having another conversation.
