Brain Fog & Depression: Understanding the Connection

Can Depression Cause Brain Fog?

Research shows that brain fog occurs approximately 85%-95% of the time during a depressive episode.¹ The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) includes cognitive dysfunction as a key symptom of depression. Additionally, depression-related brain fog can be a side effect of certain medications used to treat depression.

Symptoms of Depression-Induced Brain Fog

Depression-induced brain fog includes many symptoms that impact day-to-day functioning. These symptoms can be really frustrating and difficult to manage. For people living with major depression disorder (MDD), brain fog can be a cause of the decline in functioning.^2,3

Cognitive symptoms of depression-related brain fog include:⁴

• Poor concentration
• Easily distracted
• Excessive cognitive effort
• Difficulty communicating
• Difficulty learning new tasks
• Memory issues or depression-induced memory loss
• Difficulty finding words
• Forgetfulness
• Grogginess
• Dizzy spells
• Headaches
• Thinking or responding slowly
• Dissociative experiences

Can Brain Fog Make Depression Symptoms Worse?

Brain fog can exacerbate depression symptoms and have a negative impact on the healing process.¹ People with depression often struggle to just get out of bed and get simple tasks done. Brain fog can make it difficult to think straight, and so planning out the day can become all the more overwhelming. Struggling to think straight can also make someone with depression feel even more hopeless about the possibility of feeling better.

Brain fog can also impact a person’s ability to manage their symptoms of depression because having a foggy memory can make it difficult to participate in therapy. It can also make it more difficult for someone to remember to take their medication, thereby decreasing the efficacy of their medication. Additionally, struggling with brain fog can make socializing difficult because a person may feel dissociated or have trouble following the conversation. This can cause someone with depression to isolate even further.

How to Cope With Brain Fog Depression

Managing depression-induced brain fog can be challenging, so it is important to set realistic goals and implement healthy coping skills for depression into your routine. Practicing mindfulness for depression, engaging in cognitive activities, movement, and a healthy support system are some ways to get started. Explore different ways to cope and find what works best for you and your situation.

Here are ten tips and some free worksheets for how to manage depression-related brain fog:

1. Improve Your Organizational Skills

Improving your organization skills is a critical aspect of tackling depression brain fog. The further you are into your day, the worse your brain fog can get. So begin your day by writing out what you want to accomplish. Then, break down tasks from larger goals into smaller chunks. Use calendars and timers to keep yourself on track. There are also many organization and time management apps, such as RescueTime, that can help you keep organized. Also, get into the habit of writing tasks or responsibilities down as soon as they pop into your mind because, with depression-induced brain fog, it is easy to forget.

Setting SMART Goals for Depression

SMART Goals is a structured goal-setting method that can help individuals with depression create clear and manageable objectives.

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2. Try Stress-Reduction Techniques

Mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation for depression help to reduce stress. Stress reduction will naturally improve symptoms of depression and brain fog. Taking a few moments each day to slow down and engage in relaxation techniques, such as autogenic training, is a great way to manage depression-related brain fog. It may be helpful to start the day by engaging in slow, deep breaths or a short 3-5 minute meditation using a meditation app.

3. Improve Diet & Sleep Habits

A balanced diet that fulfills your nutrition needs and avoids foods with little nutritional value can also help manage depression. Additionally, sleep plays a big role in depression, so improving sleep hygiene can greatly reduce depression-related brain fog.

Free Self-Care for Depression Worksheet

This worksheet is designed to help you practice a variety of specific self-care activities that can improve your depression.

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4. Use Cognitive & Memory-Based Exercises

Since brain fog impacts how we think and process information, exercising the brain can be a way to help reduce foggy feelings. Engaging in crossword puzzles, card games, number puzzles, or brain teasers can help manage these symptoms. Research indicates that these activities help the brain relax, improve memory, help with concentration, and enhance cognitive skills.⁵

5. Focus on Exercise & Movement

When feeling depressed, moving or exercising may feel like the last thing you want to do, but exercise is very helpful in managing depression and depressive-related brain fog. Research shows that exercise enhances learning and memory while also counteracting mental decline associated with aging.⁶

Exercise doesn’t have to be intense. Walking for 30 minutes a few times a week is a good place to start. Remember, movement and exercise alone will not cure depression but can improve mood and decrease stress.

6. Try Daily Journaling

Journaling about your depression is a great way to process thoughts and feelings. It is important when living with depression-related brain fog to allow space to acknowledge how it is impacting you as well as how you’re managing it. Oftentimes, journaling can help us clear our minds and put exactly what we are feeling into words.

7. Read More

Reading is a powerful tool that helps us exercise our brains. Reading on a regular basis improves memory function and brain power. Reading can be a helpful way to combat the impact depression-related brain fog has on how we process information.

8. Build a Support System

Living with depression and brain fog can be overwhelming and frustrating. Having a strong social support system can help increase motivation and decrease negative thoughts. Also, a good support system can help you to implement all the lifestyle changes (increased exercise, sleep, etc.) that will combat brain fog directly. Even if your support system is small, it is important to surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up. It is okay to set boundaries with people who cause you emotional distress.

9. Find a Support Group

Depression can make us feel alone in our struggles, and struggling with depression and brain fog can be an isolating experience. Support groups help to break that isolation because you are surrounded by people who have the same struggles and inherently understand what you are going through. Support groups also open you up to hearing how others are coping with their depression brain fog and give you ideas for how to tackle it going forward. There are many different depression support groups available online and in person.

10. Practice Yoga

Yoga incorporates mindfulness, spirituality, breathing techniques, and physical postures. Practicing yoga is a great way to boost your mental health and manage depression-related brain fog. Research has shown that there are neurological benefits to practicing yoga. Practicing yoga can help heal the parts of the brain that are directly affected by depression-related brain fog.⁷

When to Seek Professional Support

When depression-related brain fog is interfering with daily functioning, it is time to reach out for support. Online therapy services such as Talkspace or BetterHelp are a convenient and affordable way to find a therapist who specializes in depression management. There are also many online psychiatry services that make exploring medication options for depression easier than ever.

How Is Brain Fog Depression Diagnosed?

Healthcare providers typically use diagnostic tools and screenings when diagnosing depression and depression-related brain fog. Since brain fog has many causes, you should explore where it comes from. This may mean working with multiple providers if ruling out other cognitive disorders is necessary.

It is important to be completely honest with your providers in order for them to give you a proper diagnosis. It can be helpful to write down all symptoms you are experiencing prior to meeting the provider to ensure you don’t forget anything.

Treatment Options for Depression Brain Fog

Treatment for depression and depression-related brain fog can include various interventions such as psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.⁵ Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression is one of the most evidence-based interventions for the treatment of depressive-related disorders. Since depression and brain fog tend to lead to negative thought patterns, CBT can be an effective way of helping to break those patterns. Remember to have patience while exploring how to manage depression-related brain fog. It may take time for some of these interventions to work.

What Causes Depression Brain Fog?

Research indicates that there are various factors that cause depression-related brain fog. Inflammation, chemical imbalances, and the body’s natural way of responding to stress are all linked to experiencing brain fog. In addition, there are certain types of medications that have side effects that cause or exacerbate brain fog.

Causes for depression brain fog include:

Neurochemical Changes

Depression impacts the brain by causing neurochemical changes to occur, which disrupts neural networks that are responsible for regulating executive functioning, memory recall, decision-making, emotional regulation, and working memory. Neurotransmitters that impact the formation of memories, learning, regulation, and executive function are also impacted during a depressive episode. All of these brain changes result in depression-related brain fog.⁵

Other Symptoms of Depression

The general symptoms of depression can also lead to brain fog as well, particularly ones that consume a lot of mental and emotional energy and leave very little energy for your brain to function normally. Some of these symptoms that can lead to and make depressive brain fog worse include rumination, attentional biases, shame, negative self-talk, and negative thinking patterns in general (often called cognitive distortions), as well as physical fatigue.

Certain Medications

Oftentimes, antidepressant medications are prescribed in order to treat depression. Certain medications, such as SSRIs, may have side effects that exacerbate brain fog symptoms. Keep track of any side effects experienced, and if you suspect that your medication is causing brain fog, speak with your psychiatrist. You can collaborate with your prescriber to find a different medication and/or dosage that works for you. It can take trial and error to find the right medication and dosage.³

Stress

Our body’s natural response to stress can, at times, exacerbate brain fog symptoms. When an individual has depression, they often experience high amounts of stress, which causes the brain to produce more stress hormones. These hormones impact brain functioning, thus causing depression-related brain fog symptoms.^5,8

Unhealthy Lifestyle

Research has shown that inflammation plays a role in depression and brain fog. Lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise, and sleep can impact the levels of inflammation in our bodies and influence the severity of depression-related brain fog symptoms.⁶

A 2010 study revealed that a diet high in saturated fat increases the risk of neurological dysfunction. In addition, this study also revealed that sleep and exercise also play a role in healthy brain functioning. Mistreating our physical bodies can impact how we function and cause depression-related brain fog.⁶

What Else Could Be Causing Brain Fog?

While brain fog is a common symptom that comes with untreated depression, there are also other physical and mental health-related causes that could be contributing to brain fog. It is important to talk with your doctor and/or prescriber about your brain fog and any other symptoms you might be experiencing in order to seek and receive the treatment that you need.

Other causes of brain fog could include:⁹

• Sleep struggles and deprivation
• Unmanaged stress
• Thyroid disease
• Hormone fluctuations
• COVID-19
• Anxiety disorders
• ADHD
• Poor Diet
• Cancer and cancer treatments
• Autoimmune disease
• Dehydration
• Diabetes