Can Depression Cause Memory Loss?

Can Depression Cause Memory Loss?

Depression impacts memory in various ways, including concentration, recall, and cognitive functioning. Unipolar depression is associated with difficulty concentrating and impaired memory of positive life events.¹ Additionally, some researchers speculate that chronic stress behind depression may cause disruptions in memory patterns.¹ Brain fog is also a common symptom of depression, making it hard to retain new information or recall past events.

Signs of Depression-Related Memory Loss

Depression-related memory loss may affect the working memory of the individual. Working memory is the smallest amount of information an individual can hold while engaged in a task. For example, individuals may struggle to filter out neutral information and integrate necessary information into working memory.² For example, someone with depression may have to read and re-read a passage in a book to understand the information.

Another factor related to depression and memory loss is non-verbal memory. Non-verbal memory is how we store memories unrelated to words, whether through sight, sound, smells, faces, or feelings. Depression-related memory loss may look like persistent issues with non-verbal memory, such as difficulty organizing and sorting information.³ For example, someone with depression-related memory loss might have a hard time following instructions to complete a task.

The Science of Depression-Related Memory Loss

Research depicts multiple causes of memory loss related to depression. Sometimes, memory loss is episodic and goes away with remission, while other individuals might struggle long-term with depression and memory issues. Complications include neurobiological changes, chronic stress responses, and sleep disturbances.

Factors within depression that may contribute to memory problems include:

Neurobiological Changes

Certain brain structure abnormalities have been found in individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder. These structural issues are found in areas of the brain involved in memory storage, higher-level functioning, and mood regulation.⁴ One structure called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may specifically have attention and working memory deficits.⁴

Stress & Cortisol

Depression disrupts the body’s ability to manage stress.⁴ Since depression affects the way neurotransmitters function, the body has a difficult time turning ‘off’ certain responses to stress that are normally adaptive.⁴

One of these responses is the release of cortisol, a hormone that normally helps someone get prepared to respond to stressful life situations. Cortisol levels are elevated in someone with depression.⁵ Sustained elevated cortisol levels are harmful because they are associated with multiple health issues, including impaired memory.⁴

Sleep Disturbances

Sleep problems are common in depression, presenting as either the inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or sleep too much. Sleep disruptions are documented to cause cognitive and emotional impairments, especially when the symptom persists.⁶

Sleep also plays an important role in the integration of memories.⁶ If an individual is sleeping too much or too little (as happens with depression), they may not have the same capacity for storing memories as someone who has good sleep hygiene.

Other Causes Of Memory Loss

There are some mental health conditions other than depression that might negatively impact memory functioning, such as anxiety or bipolar disorders. Other mental health-related phenomena, such as trauma or dissociative amnesia, can impact memory. Certain medications or medical conditions can also impact memory and attention. Lastly, some age-related declines in memory can be expected within a normal range.

• Medical conditions: Other medical conditions are important to rule out as causes for memory loss, such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and thyroid disorders. These conditions all impact the brain differently, where memory impairments may be a symptom.
• Anxiety: When the brain is in a constant hyper-vigilant state, it is difficult to incorporate new information. When this state of anxiety is constant, it can lead to memory loss.
• Bipolar: Sometimes, bipolar disorder can lead to memory loss. Bipolar disorder comes with periods of highs and lows, which may affect the brain in different ways. When the brain is either in a high or low, it is either too active or too depressed to incorporate memories properly.
• Trauma: Instances where trauma-related memory loss occurs are generally when it is too painful for the conscious brain to acknowledge deep-seated, frightening memories.
• Dissociative amnesia: Dissociative amnesia causes memory loss around personal information, such as one’s name, personality traits, or lifestyle. Sometimes, these issues with memory can last mere minutes, and sometimes, they can last for days at a time.
• Medications: Certain medications, such as ones taken for anxiety or sleep, can cause issues with memory loss. For example, benzodiazepines are an as-needed anxiety medication that sometimes causes issues with short- and long-term memory.
• Substance abuse: Drug and alcohol abuse can cause memory loss when the behavior is repeated and begins to affect brain structure and functioning. Using high amounts of substances or using them for a long duration of time will cause more substantial damage to memory functioning.
• Age-related memory changes: Some natural declines in memory occur as we age. These generally include changes in recall or storage of memories, such as forgetting where one has parked their car, what the name of a certain store was, or whether they watered the flowers.

How to Know If Depression Is Causing Your Memory Loss

Seeking a professional’s opinion is the best way to determine whether depression is causing your memory loss. Your doctor will likely administer certain tests or assessments to ask about the history and prevalence of depression symptoms and memory loss to determine if the two are connected.

Make sure to document symptoms and be prepared to discuss when symptoms started and how they affect the quality of your life. Especially if you are dealing with memory issues, documentation can become an important piece of the puzzle. You may want to take a family member or friend with you who can help you recall key pieces of information.

Can Memory Loss From Depression Be Reversed?

Some research has found support for cognitive rehabilitation as an effective tool for combatting memory loss caused by major depressive episodes.⁷ Cognitive rehabilitation focuses on tasks to improve attention and memory, areas that may be negatively affected by depression.

The research is mixed as to whether memory loss remains stable, improves, or declines based on interventions such as medication, therapy, or cognitive rehabilitation. Some of these differences may be explained by individual variances in genetics or other factors, and research is ongoing to find more answers to depression and memory loss.

How to Cope With Depression-Related Memory Loss

A person’s treatment team may use different strategies to help them cope with memory loss caused by depression. A therapist may focus on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors related to depression and memory loss. A psychiatrist may use certain medications like antidepressants to treat the depression affecting memory deficits. Other specialized providers may use cognitive rehabilitation therapy to help treat issues associated with memory and attention.

Coping with depression-related memory loss can involve:

Seeking Therapy

If depression is the leading cause of memory loss, a therapist or counselor can help target symptoms. Strategies for treating depression might include medication, therapy, or a combination. Seeking intervention at the first sign can help before symptoms become exacerbated. Even if the depression has already begun its course, a professional can help with strategies to move into remission from memory loss related to the depression.

Treatment options for depression include:

• Psychodynamic therapy: Psychodynamic therapy is an insight–oriented approach focused on helping an individual recognize unconscious desires that motivate them. The therapy also focuses a lot on the root causes of conflict, often found in the past. Through therapy, individuals gain new insights into their desires and fears to lead more intentional lives.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT for depression helps individuals recognize the complex interplay of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through therapy, individuals recognize how to challenge negative thinking patterns and regulate emotions to respond more effectively to life situations.
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT for depression focuses on increasing adaptive life skills in the areas of mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Through gaining and applying life skills, individuals learn how to respond flexibly to life stressors and conflicts.
• Narrative therapy: Narrative therapy for depression helps the individual recognize how the story they tell themselves affects the way they experience their depression. Narrative therapy helps the individual recognize key points of their life story and how to build new narratives to create more positive perceptions of their personal experience.

Medication Review

If depression is the source of a person’s memory, treating the depression with medication can help. Medications for depression work by changing the functioning of neurotransmitters to be more adaptive in response to stressful situations. A psychiatrist will generally take a full assessment of an individual’s biological, psychological, and social history to understand what medications might work for them. Some medications, such as SSRIs, take a few weeks to build in the bloodstream and achieve their full effects. The provider will likely follow up with the person more frequently at the beginning of treatment until the right medication and dosage for their needs are found.

Lifestyle Modifications

Through lifestyle modifications that target depression, a person can give themselves the best chance possible to mitigate the effects of memory deficits from depression. A healthy lifestyle can look different for everyone. General advice includes following medication management plans, meeting with one’s providers on a regular basis, sustaining a good support system, minimizing work or other life stressors, maintaining good boundaries with others, eating foods that help with depression, and exercising to improve depressive symptoms.

Everyday activities can enhance cognitive health when implemented on a regular basis. Research supports activities such as engaging in a hobby, volunteering, or even simply performing household chores as involved in cognitive health.⁸ These activities all get a person’s body moving and their brain engaged, and benefits are further strengthened when a social component is added.⁸

When to Seek Professional Support

If your symptoms of depression are overwhelming you or your loved one, it may be necessary to seek professional support. Especially if depression is causing issues in fulfilling everyday responsibilities, treatment can help provide relief. An online therapist directory or online therapy platform may be a helpful place to start. If medication is warranted, you can seek psychiatrist options using an online platform.