Sometimes forgetfulness is a relatively harmless consequence of stress, poor sleep patterns, or chronic overwork. However, in some cases, cognitive impairment may indicate serious mental or neurodegenerative disorders, including early dementia. We tell you what symptoms you should pay special attention to in order to understand that you have serious memory problems.

Forget words regularly

A complex term lost in memory a couple of times is the norm. However, if you notice that you increasingly forget the most ordinary words (interior items, products, simple adjectives and verbs, etc.) – this is a reason to see a doctor.

Lost in space

This is not about the “topographic cretinism” characteristic of many, but about situations in which you generally forget why you went to one place or another. A dangerous symptom is forgetting a regular route that you regularly use, for example, when it gets completely out of your head how to get to work or your favorite store.

Making mistakes in daily activities

Constantly forgetting to turn off the stove or lights, do laundry, take a shower, not remembering how to pay your utility bill, etc properly. All this can be a sign of both incipient dementia and serious mental disorders, so it’s better to consult a specialist.

Engage less in social interactions

It’s worth worrying if you’ve started to avoid meeting up with friends, feel a loss of interest in joint activities that used to bring joy, and generally become less and less energetic. Also, pay attention to unusual and inappropriate emotions when interacting with loved ones: suspicion, extreme embarrassment, anxiety, or fear.

Forgetting very important things

For example, names of friends and relatives, important dates, future plans, work tasks, etc. This is also a serious symptom that requires a mandatory trip to the doctor.