Doctors here on Tuesday revealed that they are getting around 50 cases per month related to memory loss and pseudodementia in the younger population less than 50 years of age.
Pseudodementia is used to describe the condition in which depression causes cognitive deficits that masquerade as dementia. Patients will often present with difficulties in memory and concentration and deny depressive symptoms.
“Cases of pseudodementia in the younger population are increasing. We get around 50 cases in a month where patients less than 50 years of age, seek help related to memory loss and pseudodementia,” said Dr Praveen Gupta, Director Neurology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram.
Patients with pseudodementia and memory loss face problems like forgetting where they placed the car keys, not remembering to pick up an item at the grocery store, forgetting to return a friend’s phone call, and even forgetting what they were just about to say.
Factors like taking excess stress related to career, overwork, social status, and other factors are leading to pressure on the brain which hinders the brain from processing the information completely, due to which it does not reach to permanent memory.
“Also processing too much information at the same time is also leading to loss of focus and memory loss,” Dr Gupta added.
Having high levels of stress can negatively affect the functioning of the brain, which may result in memory loss problems.
“Both pseudodementia and memory loss can be treated successfully and should be diagnosed as early as possible,” the health experts said.
Two patients, Nidhi and Aniket, aged 35 and 45 years working in the corporate sector came to Dr Gupta with a complaint of forgetting the names of people and even forgetting where they kept the house and car keys.
Doctors found that due to overwork, stressful jobs, and multitasking, they have developed attention deficit disorder which leads to a problem of memory loss and pseudodementia. These conditions can be treated with care, medicine and counselling.
“Stress is the leading cause of pseudodementia. More and more younger people are struggling to manage their life stressors, be it personal, professional or related to finances. It is very concerning but with adequate information and awareness this should be preventable and manageable,” said Dr. Vipul Rastogi, senior consultant, and neuropsychiatrist at Medanta Hospital.