ADHD and bad memory

[gib65]

Is it possible that some people are misdiagnosed with ADHD when the problem is really a bad memory? I mean, the symptoms could be the same. Imagine that you were giving someone a set of instructions and then later you found that they only did half of them. You might first think that they weren't paying attention, but what if they WERE paying attention and they just didn't register half the instruction into memory. They wouldn't be able to defend themselves because what would they say? "Yeah, I know you told me that, but I forgot." No, he'd say "I don't remember you telling me that." I guess if it's a problem of recall, he might have the former response, but if it's a problem with registering it in the first place, he'd have the latter response. You think?

[Glider]

Hmm...it would be hard to differentiate because a poor recall is a function of ADHD. You can only remember information to which there are traces. Encoding alone isn't enough. Just encoding information is a bit like just throwing a box into a warehouse full of boxes, without watching where it lands. Yes, it will be in storage, but you have little chance of finding it.

 

Forming traces requires that the information is both registered and processed. The processing allows you to form links between the new information and existing information. Just hearing it isn't enough on its own to form sufficient traces to be able to recall the information, you have to have understood it and related it to existing knowledge. You might be 'paying attention', i.e. looking at the speaker, or the book, but if your mind is wandering you will be registering the information, but not processing it.

 

Basically, if you ignore any neuropathological cause of bad memory, then you are left only with 'not paying attention' and this may or may not be due to ADHD. ADHD simply means you don't really have the choice. However, there are other symptoms to ADHD and if they're not present then you are left only with 'not paying attention'.