Discussion Has depression made anyone else "stupid"?

[Trashcan]

Before depression, I loved to learn and was a good student. Now I'm an okay student and very worried about my future because I'll need to excel in some hard courses to even have to get accepted into the program for my career. It's also an intense program. I have trouble concentrating when I study, memorizing, and understanding things. I've also noticed that I seem to lack common sense and just am not very smart. Depression dumbed me down. It's like I lost a lot of brain cells. I used to be smart before depression. Not anymore.

 

[Revan]

Relatable.

I have no doubt that depression has exacerbated my working memory deficit. I'm quite sure it has also reduced my processing speed.

 

[Hiraeth]

YES! It's the worst knowing that all through elementary school and middle school i was at the top of my class and then i fell off and failed out of highschool.

 

[Pedrester]

Omfg, you have no idea how much I relate to this. It is so good to know you are not alone. I was really starting to think its happening because of how much I drink.

 

[cupio dissolvi]

I don't think I'm necessarily more stupid now, I just have no motivation and can't focus because of my thoughts. I do tend to forget things more quickly, though.

 

[oldgray]

i feel retarded

 

[Lunar]

It certainly feels that way. My memory and concentration is just terrible. I struggle to remember things and it's as though large chunks of my memory is missing. I've been told that the area of the brain that's responsible for memory and learning shrinks with people with recurrent depression or something. I have no idea if that's indeed true, I'm not a knowledge person, but it wouldn't surprise me that it would do damage after so long.

 

[worldexploder]

It gives me a lot of brain fog and lack of motivation.

 

[Neon]

Yeah I made a thread on this, a lot of people agree.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/does-depression-make-you-dumber.5620/

 

[Nem]

I think depression can cause you to feel somewhat retarded...

 

[Trashcan]

Yeah I made a thread on this, a lot of people agree.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/does-depression-make-you-dumber.5620/

Oh sorry, I forgot about your thread. Otherwise I wouldn't have posted this here. I couldn't remember if I saw that post on here or Reddit, and I assumed Reddit. I'm sorry.

 

[Neon]

Oh sorry, I forgot about your thread. Otherwise I wouldn't have posted this here. I couldn't remember if I saw that post on here or Reddit, and I assumed Reddit. I'm sorry.

Yeah it's fine not accusing you of anything, just saying there's more insight/info there too.

 

[zzz919]

@Trashcan ...... My memory and my ability to solve problems has been devastated by depression.
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However ...... Depression has hurt me worst of all by destroying my creativity ...... My greatest joy in life has been creating websites which used words and images that were designed to make people think ...... I wanted to wake people up ...... Now ...... Unfortunately ...... I can't even wake myself up.
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I am of no use to the world in my current state.

 

[Iwant2sleepforever]

Yup, depression caused me to make bad decisions in the past.

 

[Throwaway563078]

Yes. Sometimes it's really bad where I can't focus at all or even read a paragraph. Just today I was so zoned out and all that I put the laundry detergent in the fridge.

 

[Lra888]

Yes. Depression makes me extremely absent minded where everything seems broken up, like I make very stupid mistakes with simple things, forgetfulness because my mind switched over to anxious depressed thought - it's constant and I have no control over it.

One sad example: I was in one of my "stay in bed for days & completely neglect myself" phases. I had almost no food food so I finally walked to a corner store for milk. After I paid and was exiting someone called after me. I'd forgotten my milk.

Also don't retain information from conversations or reading. It's awful.

 

[Voldmort]

at least until last year I was one of the best students of the course, I struggled a lot to read the same subject given in the classroom by several different books and along with my insatiable desire to learn, I had a vast knowledge and high grades.
today, when I'm about to ctb, I practically do not even study, I shoot very below average grades in practically everything and Im absent in a lot of classes. while it was very easy to learn chemistry (it was my passion), today I accumulate everything and only understand half.
depression did this to me. before at least I had a plan to follow.