OCD and poor short term memory.

[BDC]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forums and am really encouraged to see so many thoughtful posts. It is nice to know that I am not alone. I have been diagnosed with pure-o and had a question for those of you with this form of OCD; anyone can answer, but I figure it might be something that only those with pure-o experience. However, let me know if I am incorrect.

Do any of you notice a lack of short term memory? I was at a friends house today and watched MNF. About one hour later I couldn't remember the teams that played. I had to ask a friend who had played--even as I started to type this message I had to rethink who had played before it came to me. This is just one example; I have many more. I often forget the names of people within seconds of meeting them, forget what I did the night before with a group of friends, forget the names of movies, etc...

I know that spikes limit your cognitive ability, but I did not suffer from any severe spikes tonight that took me completely out of reality.

I go to a very good therapist and have received CBT and my OCD has gotten much much better, however, when I bring up the lack of short term memory he does not seem to think it is a problem.

I'm curious if anyone else has similar experiences or maybe there is something completely separate going on here.

Thank you in advance to anyone with feedback.

 

[kihira]

Welcome BDC

 

[Feathers]

Hi & Welcome!

Yea, I have experienced short-term memory problems..

Sometimes I have asked people things repeatedly and then they looked at me odd and I remember asking them and don't remember the answer.. It can be something really stupid, like what's the time..?

I was also told it's an 'occupational hazard' for two of my past jobs and that many people have that.

I found online that OCD is connected with certain mineral/vitamin deficiencies and guess what, poor memory is connected with certain mineral/vitamin deficiencies too! So huh?!

My guess it that by addressing the mineral/vitamin deficiencies you could improve both OCD, memory and some other problems...
There's lots of info online, of course it's best to double-check it and ideally talk to someone knowledgeable, if you can find them... Ideally doctor/pharmacist/nutricionist.. I prefer to stay away from supplements though, had bad experience with them. Ideally would get enough vitamins/minerals and stuff with food!

Also too much online/computer time can cause memory problems.. (and others )

 

[BDC]

Interesting. Do you know what particular minerals and vitamins they are? Why wouldn't wouldn't my therapist bring that part up?

 

[Feathers]

Interesting. Do you know what particular minerals and vitamins they are? Why wouldn't wouldn't my therapist bring that part up?

Most doctors don't know much about nutrition. It's in the 'research yourself' category, like nutrition& exercise that help prevent rheumatism etc.
There are books and websites about these things, but big pharma companies can't make millions out of healthy lifestyle.

Magnesium can be a factor, I think omega3 too, and some others. There are links for OCD posted in Soniya's thread, here it is: http://www.socialphobiaworld.com/hey-all-please-help-me-to-come-out-of-this-ocd-28942/

There is a thread on ADD forums that says some therapists are only now learning about supplements and the role of vitamins/minerals, they also only talk about what is 'scientifically proven' and don't recommend 'unproven' things even if they may have been helpful for some people. http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89206 (it's mostly about vitamins/minerals for bipolar though, but again, these things can be similar... Apparently in the US there's a prescription Omega 3 that insurance pays for too-?)

Did you know (lack of) exercise can be a factor for ADD too? (There's a book called Fidget to Focus that explains it well.) Also some artificial food additives have been suspected and some people get better without them.

If you google 'memory nutrition' or 'ADD nutrition' you will find stuff too.. I haven't put it all in a coherent form yet. Maybe I'll put up a website, lol.. (long-term) Some of the supplements recommended on OCD and ADD forums and sites are the same, some are different... Nutrition can be a very individual thing too, depends what you already eat, what your stress levels are.. (Stress, alcohol, sugar, caffeine deplete minerals and vitamins...) If you have any other health conditions... It's best to get them with food..

neural pathways are made of something, and if you don't get the necessary ingredients with food or can't digest food properly and thus may have deficits, what will you build them of?
You might also want to read up on myelinization and such...

Ideally, you'd avoid food additives and track your nutrition on fitday.com or something like that, have your blood checked, and get a good nutricionist if you can. I don't know if nutritional psychologist is a legitimate profession or not, I'd sure want one.
My doctor doesn't know much, pharmacists may know a bit more, not everything, and well, in the end we are the ones to do the research, double-check things and see if it works..

Maybe print things out or send your therapist/doctor the links or names of any doctors/companies mentioned if you decide you might want to try any of it? If you go for nutrition only, also consult your doc if you can.
Don't expect too much though, as they are still learning about it too..

When I diagnosed myself with a rare problem (with the help of some people on other forums) I printed stuff out from Wikipedia and took it to my doctor and only then she took me seriously and had me tested for certain things. I'm still to be tested for celiac and such (though I fret about it a bit). Things just sort of connect, for many different things.. I really wish a knowledgeable nutricionist could help, I think you have better luck of finding some in the Sates.. ctds.info is also a good site for info on magnesium and such, in connection with other health problems..

 

[tvang]

Welcome to the forum.

Just want to tell you that you are not alone. Poor memory (short and long term is quite common for people with ocd/depression/other mental problems). It will improve in periods where you are "feeling better".

I have at times a very short attention span. I can read pages of a book out loud without any mistakes and still not know what I've just read. This is due to the passive minds we have in todays society where T.V, constant music everywhere (shops, doctors surgery..etc...relaxes the brain and without the brain getting tasks to do it "deteriorates") and internet habits have made us all "dumb". It's showing up in research that "normal people" have concentration problems too due to T.V/music/internet, so us lot (the ones with a bit of abnormalities in our brain) are obviously going to have these moments. It helps cut out music and T.V. I limit my time on the internet too. It has helped me a lot. I have less moments of memory loss now compared to before.

Nutrition is also important as the body needs certain vitamins and minerals in certain dosages and with everyone opting for easy meals and take away it's bound to affect us negatively.

Another way of improving memory is to do random math questions and quizzez. It will "kick start" your brain and as long as your brain is working on something it will learn more and be more alert.