I forget medical info all the time. When was my last dentist visit? I dunno. Which kid had their tonsils out? What’s my blood type?
Wife asks “remember when I had strep last year?” No…
Has anyone in my house had COVID? I think so, but which one(s)?
I forget vacations we took, what states I’ve been to.
Terrible at remembering people that I’ve met even a bunch of times.
Horrible at work. I’m on top of what’s happening now, mostly, because I have notes, but what happened a year ago? Gosh.
It’s really frustrating living like this, but I don’t know how much might be my ADHD and how much is just me having a bad brain.
I sometimes have difficulty remembering people’s names. Even people I have known for years.
It’s really frustrating when you suddenly see someone you know very well and can’t more than a “Hey! …you” out only for their name to immediately pop into your head about 30 seconds after the conversation is over and you’re walking away.I feel so bad, because people know MY name and I can’t reciprocate. Is it because I’m a bad, self-centered person? A medical issue? Something else?
Gives me anxiety, bud.
ADHD is a brain/neurological disorder that has a wide range of symptoms, including memory issues. I can’t tell you exactly why we have trouble remembering names but I am 100% certain that it’s not because you’re a bad or self-centered person.
You’ve gotta give yourself a little grace. Living with with ADHD is hard and you can’t just power through it, any more than someone missing a leg can run marathons.
Ah, but you see, even if you are correct (probably are), there’s still the chance that I’m ALSO a bad person! Checkmate.
I should probably see a therapist.
Yeah. I can’t remember names worth a crap even if I try. Their voice, their face and their car i can remember no problem.
I get this too. But I lean heavily into my Australianess to cover by calling everyone mate.
It’s all good, your brain has automatically prioritized processing over rote memorization of useless info, which by the way can still be accessed given the right context. Otherwise, embrace the processing bit and apply your computational genius to the max, forgive your memory loss.
I guess I can try! Recommend any resources?
Resources for how to apply yourself? Well, just focus on what you do best and do just that. We get the machine we get, we don’t get to choose, and we don’t get a manual or a fieldbook on how to use it, we can only observe, reflect, and do our best, and that is it.
I’m right there with you.
It’s very aggravating, and super embarrassing. I carry a lot of stress and self doubt about my incapacity and what people think of me.
I can relate to this and I’m unsure if it’s part of ADHD but I’m sure it contributes. Sometimes I wonder if I have a less extreme version of SDAM.
Autobiographical memory may differ greatly between individuals. Hyperthymesia, also known as hyperthymestic syndrome or highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM), is a condition that affects an individual’s autobiographical memory, essentially meaning that they cannot forget small details which otherwise would not be stored. It forms one extreme, in which a person might recall vividly almost every day of their life (usually from around the age of 10). On the other extreme is severely deficient autobiographical memory (SDAM), where a person cannot relive memories from their lives, although this does not affect other memory capabilities or general cognition.[SDAM is a severe autobiographical memory deficiency, but without amnesia.
Huh. Maybe I’m on that spectrum. I barely remember anything from before I was 20 and as I said up top I have some really big gaps after that too.
I wonder how you would find out for sure.
I’m not sure how well known or studied it is. Trauma can also cause gaps in memory.
Well, thank you very much for pointing this out.
I did a little more digging and found a research study FAQ
How can I get assessed for SDAM?
There is no formal assessment for SDAM – this is a topic of current research. If you would like to participate, please take our survey. You may be contacted about participating in further in-depth testing.
Not sure how up to date that is.
This is me and I feel like I’m defective or something. I can’t remember dates and locations for the life of me. That’s why I take so many photos (to help remember). My great-grandmother was demented, which doesn’t help. I mean I don’t really know, but I have this worry that I’m going down that path…
We have dementia in my family too, but only after 80+ where I suppose one should expect it.
I have a time with a psychologist next month, to ascertain if I have ADHD or not. I’m sure I will be unable to give him any examples of why I think I have ADHD, because my mind just blanks in those situations. I know it does because that exact thing happened a few weeks ago when I was on the phone with the psychologist about scheduling that meeting, and he asked me why I thought I had ADHD, and I couldn’t produce a single example of why. I’m lucky to have gotten a time after that.
I had the idea of writing down the examples on paper as they came to me. I had that idea like 3 weeks ago, and I haven’t started writing yet. I know for sure I’m gonna be scrambling to write down some examples like 1 hour after midnight on the day of the meeting.
I have wondered if it’s even worth trying to get an adult diagnosis. I had one as a kid but it’s been cough a few years since it was managed or medically relevant.
The same exact thing happens to me all the time, it’s so frustrating to feel like a moron.
