For the past three years, I have noticed a steady decline in my cognitive abilities. I no longer have the near-eidetic memory I once had, my once stellar mental math skills have dwindled, my focus leaves a lot to be desired. When I do recall a memory, it typically flashes to a litany of other memories and I have a million thoughts going on at once. It's kind of like a Bing commercial in my head, about 90% of the time. My once eloquent writing style has diminished and whatever gifts enabled me to be funny are now gone.

I fear I may going into a state of psychosis, but I'm not really in a financial position to check it, let alone fix it, but I'm thinking it might be worth knowing.

Dr. T-dub, should I get a check-up?

3/9/2010 11:54:41 AM

getting older sucks...

3/9/2010 11:58:19 AM

Take care of the easy and cheap stuff first.

Sleep on a regular schedule. Eat healthy stuff. Sip on water throughout the day. And exercise at least a little, even if it's only 5 minutes a day, preferably in the morning.

I'm very bad about sticking to that. But I notice a tremendous difference in mental clarity and productivity when I'm disciplined enough to do it.

3/9/2010 12:02:28 PM

Quote :

"When I do recall a memory, it typically flashes to a litany of other memories and I have a million thoughts going on at once. It's kind of like a Bing commercial in my head, about 90% of the time."

i had/have this problem. turns out it was part of my undiagnosed bipolar II.

i agree w/ trying normal sleep schedules, eating well, exercising thing first.

3/9/2010 12:07:40 PM

A doctor's visit might not be out of the question. You're the right age for the onset of Schizophrenia.

[Edited on March 9, 2010 at 12:49 PM. Reason : typing FTL]

3/9/2010 12:49:14 PM

Depending on your financial situation there are several low cost clinics in the area you could go to if you don't mind waiting a couple months for an appointment.

3/9/2010 12:58:05 PM

Any heavy or constant drug/alcohol use?

3/9/2010 1:03:52 PM

i had memory problems with zoloft but studies i read about sertraline didn't show any connection. might have been in my head, but they went away when i got off it.

3/9/2010 1:18:40 PM

I forget what i came here to post

3/9/2010 1:48:02 PM

Quote :

"Any heavy or constant drug/alcoholTHE WOLF WEB use?"

[Edited on March 9, 2010 at 2:48 PM. Reason : ////]

3/9/2010 2:47:49 PM

You know your situation best, but I think a lot of people feel this way several years after getting out of school. Being mentally sharp is aided by practicing it, and when you're in school and constantly learning, that kind of mental agility is being constantly reinforced. Once you're working a regular job, it could be easy for that to start slipping a bit unless your job is mentally engaging and challenging. Similar for other characteristics, as well; if your job doesn't require a lot of focus and discipline, you might find it lacking when called upon to use it. You may just need to start doing crossword puzzles or find other hobbies that are mentally stimulating to keep in shape.

That said, I don't know you. If you feel like your ability to function and perform at work is being significantly impeded, it would at least be worth a visit or two to a psych to talk about it. It's a worthwhile investment in knowledge about yourself, and no matter the outcome, you'll be better equipped to make the decision about what course of treatment is right for you.

3/9/2010 3:37:02 PM

Spontaneous is a fuckin basket case

Go figure

3/9/2010 3:47:46 PM

ernie is a douche, we were all quite aware already

3/9/2010 4:14:10 PM

Are you maybe just depressed?

3/9/2010 5:40:52 PM

^4
when i started feeling rusty, i just attributed to the this and generally getting older. basically, the old adage of "if you don't lose it you lose it"

[Edited on March 9, 2010 at 6:07 PM. Reason : .]

3/9/2010 6:06:46 PM

no joke...

you'll notice your memory, as well as other cognitive abilities improve if you exercise routinely (especially cardio), get a good night's sleep every night, and cut down on the beer and liquor. Also, be sure to keep your mind sharp by actively pursuing knowledge if you've already graduated.

3/9/2010 6:22:27 PM

^ Truth!

And

Quote :

"getting older sucks..."

3/9/2010 6:25:18 PM

Quote :

"You know your situation best, but I think a lot of people feel this way several years after getting out of school. Being mentally sharp is aided by practicing it, and when you're in school and constantly learning, that kind of mental agility is being constantly reinforced. "

I've noticed that, too, although I think that my job keeps me pretty mentally engaged--I think it's more of an issue of being overwhelmed and having too much going on at times, at which point I notice that I start slipping on little things.

3/9/2010 6:35:08 PM

I've started getting really paranoid that I'm losing my memory and my intellect as I reach old age. I'm 23. FML

3/9/2010 8:59:16 PM

I've started getting really paranoid that I'm losing my memory and my intellect as I reach old age. I'm 23. FML

3/9/2010 10:44:35 PM

I'd get a check up if it was a persistent problem. If something is fixable, its usually more fixable earlier than later. I wouldn't necessarily say go to a doctor at any cost. But one appointment for a check up and learn your options doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

3/9/2010 10:52:09 PM

Wasn't your brother diagnosed with a mental disease? There is a genetic link to many so yes it's worth getting checked out. However, I agree with a lot of the first posts regarding exercise, eating well etc. Earlier this year I was really having a difficult time concentrating and felt really lethargic. I started popping some b12 pills and honestly I feel tons better now. Sometimes we fear the worse but it could be as simple as a very basic vitamin deficiency

3/9/2010 11:13:04 PM

I have to ask, and I ask this as this personally is happening to me.

Do you find yourself keeping up a regime that increases or maintains your mental activies?

I used to read a lot, do quiz bowl, and have intelligent discussion almost every day. Now I play video games and talk smack. And I have noticed the same effects as you report. Coincidence? I think not. Correlative? Yes

3/9/2010 11:23:57 PM

youre fuckin crazy dude

3/10/2010 12:11:13 AM

^^I'm in exactly the same situation (right down to quiz bowl).

I also haven't exercised or gotten decent sleep since my daughter was born (nearly 2 years ago).

I don't feel the same way. Maybe crunching numbers in WoW, attending a weekly Spanish class, working in a technical job is keeping me sharp. Beats me.

All the advice in the thread is solid, but everyone has different tolerances to their environment. So take everything with a grain of salt.

Maybe Blue's Clues really is improving my "problem solving" and "meta-cognition" skills as it claims at the beginning of each episode..

3/10/2010 9:46:30 AM

Maybe you should bust out your thesaurus again and use more big and complicated words to make yourself sound smarter

3/10/2010 10:47:38 AM

Quote :

"My once eloquent writing style has diminished and whatever gifts enabled me to be funny are now gone."

3/10/2010 11:19:06 AM

^^BURN
Good one ThePeter!

3/10/2010 11:24:29 AM

Quote :

"i agree w/ trying normal sleep schedules, eating well, exercising thing first."

if you don't notice an improvement in a few weeks go see a doctor

3/10/2010 12:53:43 PM

Wait, what words did I use that you think would take a thesaurus? (--too late to edit--)

3/10/2010 1:15:00 PM

^My post was in reference to the original post

I haven't read any of the replies

3/10/2010 3:05:14 PM

My bad.

3/10/2010 4:09:28 PM

Alzheimer's, duh.

Or teh AIDS.

3/10/2010 4:24:59 PM

Quote :

"You know your situation best, but I think a lot of people feel this way several years after getting out of school. Being mentally sharp is aided by practicing it, and when you're in school and constantly learning, that kind of mental agility is being constantly reinforced."

this is soooo true.

i felt this way starting about a year after i graduated.
then i got into grad school...the beginning of last semester was hell! i couldn't remember anything i studied and was constantly cramming. i studied for two months for my top 100! (top 100 prescribed drugs in the US-generic name, brand name, indications, contradictions).
as the semester progressed i found it easier and easier to retain the material.

right now im still improving it, but my mental capacity has taken a step back in the right direction. a huge one.


(now watch me go bomb a test next week because i typed this)



[Edited on March 12, 2010 at 5:28 PM. Reason : funny thing-i was talking to cody about this a couple of weeks ago!]

3/12/2010 5:27:45 PM

when i first started flying in the military, i had a really tough time with rote memorization (there are a lot of things that do legitimately have to be memorized...emergency procedures, etc). I'd never had to do much memorization before (in engineering, for example, you didn't have to memorize much of anything). It took a while before I got better at it.

3/12/2010 6:28:14 PM