Mental Health

Title: Forgetfulness is Not a Laughing Matter

Always joking about misplacing your keys or forgetting where you parked your car? Are you also often encountered with the below scenario:

* Where did I last put my car keys?

* What do I need to buy from the grocery store?

* What day is that important meeting?

* I have forgotten what do I need to bring?

* Did I switch off the stove before I leave home?

* He looks familiar but I can’t remember where I’ve met him.

These little slips seem to be minor events to you but it is indeed no laughing matter. A new study from USA suggests that if you think you're losing your memory, you probably will.

Are you getting more forgetful?

Researchers from Los Angeles found that people over 40 who are aware that they're becoming more forgetful and absent-minded as they aged were more likely to show a decline in brain function years later.

Continue reading below...

StStAccording to the study, people who were more aware of their memory loss actually had a significantly greater decline in activities ability and increase in the frequency of using memory aids such as lists and reminders as compared to those who had only minimal memory complaints. Previous research has suggested that decreased brain function leads to future memory decline, says researcher Gary Small, MD, director of the Center on Aging at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a news release.

Are your forgetfulness NORMAL?

Well, maybe. There are early-onset cases of dementia involving people in their 40s, 50s and 60s. We usually have so much on our plates. As we cope with so much demands and requests and spin faster and faster through our lives, we simply couldn’t retrieve the information that we want whenever we need it. This inevitably will trigger us wondering whether: Are these “normal” forgetfulness problems or is it an early sign of something more serious?

When it comes to elder parents, friends, co-workers, spouses or other...