Are Mental Health Problems Causing Memory Loss?

We’ve all had moments where we forget why we walked into a room or struggle to recall the name of a person or song that’s right on the tip of our tongue. But when forgetfulness becomes a pattern, it can be a big sign that your brain is asking for help.

What many people don’t realize is that mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or ADHD may be contributing to forgetfulness.

This guide explores the deep connection between mental health and memory loss, showing how stress, anxiety, and depression can alter your brain’s chemistry and what you can do to strengthen your memory today.

CAN STRESS AND ANXIETY CAUSE MEMORY LOSS?

If you’ve ever forgotten an important task during a stressful week, you already have an inkling of how closely mental health and memory loss are linked. Chronic stress floods your body with the hormone, cortisol, that shrinks your hippocampus, the brain’s main memory center, when it’s constantly elevated.

Studies have shown that adults with persistently high cortisol levels had 14 percent smaller hippocampal volumes and performed worse on memory tests. In simpler terms: long-term stress literally changes your brain’s structure.

Relationship conflicts, financial pressure, or grief are all highly stressful life events that are known to trigger cycles of mental illness and forgetfulness. When we’re emotionally overwhelmed, the brain prioritizes survival over retention. You might stay alert to perceived or existential threats but forget the grocery list or miss important deadlines.

Lifestyle habits and environmental stressors also amplify the effect. Poor sleep, processed foods, alcohol, and constant digital stimulation all feed into mental fatigue, which drains cognitive function over time. Remember, your memory isn’t just mental—it’s biological, emotional, and behavioral.

WHAT’S THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND MEMORY LOSS?

There’s a strong link between mental health and memory loss. When anxiety or depression takes hold, the brain’s memory centers can become dysregulated, making you feel foggy, forgetful, or detached.

Brain SPECT imaging studies from Amen Clinics reveal overactivity in the limbic system in people with depression. In contrast, underactivity in the prefrontal cortex (the brain’s executive center) is associated with ADHD and symptoms like poor concentration and impulsivity. When these systems are out of sync, memory can suffer.

If you’re concerned, here are five key symptoms that suggest your mental health could be affecting your memory:

• Frequent forgetfulness: Missing appointments, losing track of time, or forgetting conversations.
• Mental fog: Feeling slow to process information or distracted easily.
• Emotional overload: Feeling stuck in anxious or depressive thought loops that crowd out focus.
• Disrupted sleep: Insomnia or restless nights that impair next-day recall and clarity.
• Low motivation: Trouble initiating or finishing tasks that once came easily.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, think of it as a signal that your brain and mental health need support.

WHAT ABOUT DEPRESSION AND MEMORY LOSS?

Mood disorders like depression can be a major factor in memory problems. Low mood impacts cognitive clarity, which can negatively affect memory.

The link between depression and memory loss is well-documented. A 2016 study revealed that people with major depressive disorder experience reduced hippocampal volume and impaired recall, particularly when untreated.

Depression slows cognitive processing and limits access to working memory, which is like the mental “whiteboard” that helps us reason and plan.

Depression also decreases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein essential for neuron growth and repair. Without enough BDNF, the brain struggles to form new connections, leading to difficulties remembering names, places, or even recent events.

The good news is that healing your memory is possible. Brain imaging and neuroplasticity research show that with targeted interventions like exercise, therapy, and nutritional support, depression subsides and memory function can rebound.

DOES ANXIETY CAUSE MEMORY PROBLEMS?

When your mind races, your memory might stumble and worrying can hijack your focus. Anxiety activates the amygdala, the brain’s alarm center, which prepares your body for “fight or flight.”

While that’s useful in emergencies, chronic anxiety keeps this alarm blaring, redirecting resources away from the hippocampus, which is involved in getting memories into long-term storage.

Prolonged worry limits your ability to encode new information. In fact, a 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that people with generalized anxiety disorder showed significant deficits in working memory and attentional control, even during mild stress.

When anxiety dominates, your brain becomes cluttered. You might recall the emotional moments vividly but struggle with routine details.

This overlap between mental health problems and forgetfulness can feel frightening, but it is reversible. You can reduce your anxiety through mindfulness, deep breathing, or structured therapy can calm the amygdala, freeing cognitive resources to restore focus and memory.

FROM FOG TO FOCUS: HOW TO RESCUE YOUR BRAIN AND RECLAIM YOUR MEMORY

It’s incredibly empowering to know that memory decline isn’t inevitable. Instead, it’s a signal that your brain needs support.

Here’s what you can do to help improve mental wellness and memory:

• Identify your unique risk factors for cognitive decline.
• Nourish your brain with foods that enhance blood flow and reduce inflammation.
• Make sleep and movement top priorities in your life.
• Practice simple daily strategies to reduce anxiety and depression naturally.

By addressing the causes instead of just the symptoms of mental health conditions and memory loss, you strengthen your brain against future cognitive decline. And since stress and anxiety can cause memory loss, the earlier you act, the better your long-term mental clarity.

So, if you’ve been feeling mentally foggy, forgetful, or emotionally drained, consider it your brain’s nudge toward change. With the right care, you can regain clarity and confidence as well as your memory can come back, too.

If you’d like more tips on how to improve your mental health and memory, register for Amen University’s Memory Rescue course. This online memory course created by world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, gives you a step-by-step plan to strengthen your memory and protect your brain for the long term.