How do we tell the difference between amnesia symptoms and those of regular memory lapses and forgetfulness? Is there a distinction between amnesia and the memory issues we face as we age? While there are some differences there are also many commonalities.
We've all had times where we forget something or have trouble recalling information.
Sometimes tiredness or stress can momentarily interrupt our memory.
The older we get the more we chalk it up to old age.
However, we rarely assume that our memory issues or forgetfulness are signs of amnesia even if we are living in our retirement years.
So why bring up this discussion of amnesia symptoms in relation to aging? Is there anything we should be concerned about in regard to aging and amnesia? The answer could be yes.
As we age we run the risk of various mental disorders like Alzheimer's and dementia.
A form of amnesia can actually be an outward symptom that we may be suffering from one of these disorders and prompt us to seek medical assistance.
Knowing the signs of amnesia may be important in being able to spot this in ourselves or our loved ones.
Amnesia symptoms differ from memory lapses or forgetfulness in a few different ways.
The first difference being that general memory lapses or forgetfulness tend to be minor or short lived.
We may forget that we came to the living room to look for our keys, but we remember by the time we get to the doorway or back to the kitchen.
Amnesia is a more complete memory loss where we would forget that we even have keys or we may never recall that we were looking for them.
Amnesia from age related illness tends to have a more lasting effect on short term memory.
The person will begin to forget what just happened or that they asked a certain question.
They will insist that it never happened or they never said it when confronted about it.
One of the other signs of amnesia is that certain memories are locked away completely and cannot be accessed.
While sometimes this is temporary as in the case of stress related amnesia, when age related disease is the cause then the loss tends to be permanent.
As age related diseases progress another one of the amnesia symptoms that will be displayed is that the person can no longer recall familiar or personal memories such as the name of a loved one.
The more advanced the diseases becomes the more long term memories are lost.
As is the case with more severe forms of amnesia, when age related diseases afflict a significant portion of the brain the amnesia symptoms go so far as to erase personality and identity.
The person will forget who they are and their personality will change.
Often they become depressed or anti-social as they can tell that something is wrong, but cannot determine what it is exactly.
As portions of their brain are impacted they can suffer mood swings for no apparent reason or just become withdrawn.
So while we all may have memory lapses from time to time, amnesia is a more serious form of memory impairment.
It is important to understand amnesia symptoms as they can be a sign of age related diseases like Alzheimer's.
If you notice recall issues like we've discussed either in a loved one or in yourself you should seek medical attention.
There are treatments that can either slow down the advancement of memory loss or even stop it.
Certain drugs are available that can help, though be sure to ask about their side effects.
Also people are using natural supplements more and more as researchers are noticing that they can be equally effective in combating brain disease and memory loss as prescription drugs.
Seek advice from an medical expert knowledgeable in natural remedies before attempting to incorporate them into your diet.
The sooner you fight back against age related cognitive illness the better your success will be.