Dementia can be at play – but more often than not, lifestyle's the likely culprit when memory dims.
Dr Adith Mohan says that it's a fairly rare occurrence for someone under 65 to develop dementia and doctors would immediately look at lifestyle factors when people ask for help with memory.
Younger people do still get cognitive difficulties, such as forgetfulness. If you can't concentrate or feel a bit scatty or off-radar, stress and hectic lifestyles may be the cause. Anxiety and depression can also mimic a memory disorder.
While cognitive problems can happen at any age, due to brain injuries, strokes, drugs and alcohol, doctors focus on whether patients have trouble with things they should ordinarily be able to do, says Professor Perminder Sachdev.
