Memory Loss- A Strange Question

[DuctTapeJedi]

Alright, this is sort of going to be a weird thread, but how much of your childhood do you guys remember? At what point is having a poor memory of the past an issue?

This all started when I got a job at a summer camp (best job ever). One of my coworkers said she remembered going to camp with me as a kid, and described how we were good friends and how the week went, etc., and I din't remember any of it. I know this may sound like an isolated incident that happens to everyone, but when I thought about it, I realized that I have virtually no memory of my middle school years. Three years of my life, essentially gone. My memory starts to get gradually better about high school, but still, three years where I can barely remember anything.

As a side note, I do have suffer from both Attention Deficit Disorder and Depression, and middle school was easily when it was at its worst.

Anyway, I know this is sort of a break from the normal topics on the advice boards, but what the hey, why not? Can anyone help me shed any light on this matter?

 

[Patrick Dare]

Beats me. I think some people just have shitty memory. My mom always makes some comment about something we did when I was little or something I alway used to do, etc. and I never remember. To be honest I don't remember much before high school, just a few things here and there and even high school I don't remember that well. I'm almost 23 and just got my BS in May, to give an idea of how long it's been since those things. I remember high school decently well and college pretty well. I don't have ADD, depression or anything like that.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

Well, I'm 16, and rather peculiarly, I can't remember up until I was 3, and between Years 5 and 9.
So that's...
*Counts*
8 years.
FUCK.
That's HALF MY LIFE I can't remember.

 

[Zaik]

I'm 23, and I can remember most of the stuff from the past year vividly, anything *important* from the 5 or 6 years before that, and before that just unusually traumatic things.

 

[Koroviev]

As with most psychological problems, the degree to which they are actually problematic is largely subjective. What is more, such problems are often a matter of extent. For example, it is fairly typical to forget where you placed your keys every once and a while. However, it is rather unusual if this happens very often or all the time. In other words, if you feel that your memory, or lack thereof, is interfering with your ability to engage in daily life, then you should seek help. Otherwise, rejoice in being human.

 

[ultrachicken]

I don't remember much about middle school, and I'm in high school.

You're not alone.

 

[Axzarious]

My earliest memory... is quite interesting... I remember walking downstairs literally not being able to remember anything... It was like my mind was a clean slate. I dont even remember how old I was.

 

[Terminal Blue]

Memory is really complicated, and a lot of it is to do with how often you revisit memories after the event in question. It's very rare to just remember something unless you went back and thought about it afterwards.

I doubt you've repressed it, you probably just didn't play over individual events in any detail after they happened. Clearly you remember that you were depressed, so it's not like you're trying to gloss over it.

 

[Istanbul]

A lot of the early part of my life is largely made of snapshots and brief events that stand out in my life.

Keep in mind that even your long-term memory is not limitless. As you proceed with the business of living your life, old memories will get shuffled to the back of your mind and sometimes even discarded in favor of more necessary and more commonly-referenced information. If going to camp was not relevant to you, and you are old enough that you've had a lot of experiences since then, it's natural that you might have simply forgotten about it.

In situations like that, I generally find that the right thing to do is to be polite and honest. Tell her, "Wow, that was so long ago, I can scarcely remember anything about it." If the people you know are anything like the ones I know, they'll try to cite a few memories about the place; give them your best blank look. (If you don't have a blank look, practice one. It's a valuable skill.) Soon enough, they'll pick up on the fact that you honestly don't remember and drop the topic.

But yeah. Don't worry too much about it. Normal part of growing up.

 

[AnAngryMoose]

I remember certain aspects of my life, but nothing specific. I would have a general idea of what age I was in the memory, but nothing specific. This is also applicable to anything up to several months old where I can't entirely remember a day bar certain things that stood out.

 

[Valksy]

It could be the depression - But I'm just a layperson, if it really bothers you speak to a professional.

I was diagnosed clinical depressed 15 years ago, over the last few years it got a lot worse (as well as leading to some other diagnoses). For a while, my shrink thought that I might even be schizophrenic. I am 36. I remember almost nothing of the first 27-28 or so years of life and only patches after that. It feels a lot like I am dragging a threshold along behind me of how long I can remember and sometimes I think that I am remembering things that I am not sure are actually real, that's a disconcerting feeling.

Example - A few months ago some people who said that they were my best friends at school, from age 11 to 18 got in touch with my Mum via Facebook and asked to be connected to me. I have no idea who they are and had to decline.

The point, and I do have one, is that depression can cause a break in the link between your memories. They are there but your ability to recall them - done by associating similar events/times/places/people - stops working. An expert can tell you more, it was explained to me but - and I'm not kidding - I don't really recall it.

I don't rememberl what my brother looks like, I haven't seen him in years. My Mum sometimes tells stories about things that I have done, I don't recall it, it sounds like she is talking about someone else.

And my short term is also affected which can be a fucking nuisance. If I really need to recall something I have to either write it down or repeat it a lot.

Essentially - seek help (if you aren't already).

 

[erikson]

My episodic memory is like Swiss cheese, only with more holes. I depend on my declarative memory, which is all facts and captures none of the essence and emotion of my personal experience. I remember a Cliff's Notes version of my life (faces, names, bios, event summaries but sometimes only at the 'book' level, such as a general summary of people and events around 2nd grade). Also, I have to memorize song lyrics and jokes methodically, and they're soon forgotten.

 

[Naheal]

I remember the majority of it, but my long term memory's pretty decent.

 

[Pecoros7]

My memory is bit's and pieces beyond about two months. If it wasn't important enough to think back on it several times, I don't remember. I remember taking a girl named Sarah to prom, but I don't remember any details of the night. Conversely, I remember exactly how to get to a friend's childhood home and what her phone number was almost 20 years ago. Memory is a strange thing.

ADD and depression can play a part in this, but so can aging, relative importance of the memory and how your brain handles information. It's only a problem if it interferes with your ability to engage in life.