Causes of Memory Loss and How to Overcome It

Memory loss can also be called amnesia, a condition in which a person has difficulty remembering facts or past experiences. People with memory loss can also experience difficulty in forming new memories. Memory loss (amnesia) is not only often associated with head bumps or accidents, but can also be caused by a variety of other conditions, such as disorders of the thyroid gland, to HIV disease, tuberculosis, and syphilis, which if not treated, can affect performance brain, including the center of memory.

Various Causes of Memory Loss

Head injuries are often a common cause of someone experiencing memory loss. Hard impact on the head that can cause short or long term memory loss. In addition, there are also several other causes of memory loss including:

• Alzheimer's disease

Memory loss is a sign of this condition. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, and usually attacks a person over the age of 65 years. Memory loss due to dementia in Alzheimer's disease, is influenced by decreased cognitive abilities due to damage and impaired brain cell function. Alzheimer's is a fatal, degenerative, and progressive brain disease.

• Stroke

Stroke sufferers can experience partial or short term memory loss. In a stroke, the brain's blood vessels become blocked or broken, so the blood flow to the brain stops. This causes impaired brain function, including memory loss.

• Encephalitis

Encephalitis, which is inflammation of brain tissue, can be caused by infection. If inflammation causes damage to the memory center in the brain, memory loss can occur.

• Brain anoxia

Lack of oxygen in brain tissue can cause interference with brain function. Including memory function, so that memory loss can occur. This condition can be affected by heart attacks, respiratory problems, to carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Mental health disorders

This mental health disorder can make a person difficult to concentrate and focus, so that it can affect memory. In conditions of stress, trauma, and depression that are severe enough, memories related to the cause can be blocked as a form of self defense. This condition is often known as psychogenic amnesia.

• Drugs

Some medications can disrupt a person's memory, for example sleeping pills, antidepressants, pain relievers, antihistamines, muscle relaxants, and sedatives. For that, the consumption of drugs needs to be done in accordance with doctor's recommendations.

• Alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption in a short period of time, can cause a person to experience memory loss during a hangover. In the long run, alcoholism can cause the body to lack vitamin B1 (thiamine deficiency), and experience Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which causes a person to unconsciously lose his memory.

Overcoming Memory Loss

To overcome memory loss, you need to know the cause first. The following are some ways that can be done to overcome memory loss:

• Memory loss due to head injury, will generally recover according to the passage of time in the healing period.
• Stroke sufferers who experience memory problems can do therapy to practice some activities that may be forgotten, for example tying shoelaces.
• Although until now there has been no drug that can cure Alzheimer's disease, but doctors may provide useful treatment to maintain their thinking ability and memory.
• Memory problems caused by certain drugs can be overcome by changing the drugs consumed.
• Stress, trauma, or depression that causes memory disorders can be overcome by taking care to treat depression, or administering antidepressant drugs. In this way, usually the memory will slowly return to normal after depression begins to disappear. Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy aids, can also help the recovery of memory and mental condition of sufferers.

There are several things that can be done as an effort to prevent memory loss:

• Avoid excessive use of alcohol
• Also avoid using drugs outside of doctor's orders
• Always use a head protector (helmet) when driving, or when doing sports with the risk of head injury
• If you get treatment to treat the infection, go through the treatment until it's finished so the infection doesn't spread to the brain through the bloodstream
• Seek immediate medical attention, if you or someone else has symptoms of a stroke, such as severe headaches, weakness or paralysis of one side of the body.

To overcome memory loss, treatment will be given according to the cause, and usually referred to a specialist according to the underlying disease, such as a neurologist or psychiatrist. Memory loss may improve, worsen, or may persist for life. This condition is a serious matter and may cause limitations. Therefore, support from family and closest relatives plays an important role for his recovery.