Attention disorders: what to do if you are bothered by inattention, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness

Distracted attention is a fairly serious disorder of the nervous system that can affect any person. Sometimes absent-mindedness goes away on its own, and sometimes, on the contrary, it provokes even bigger problems.

Attention deficits and accompanying symptoms can cause severe discomfort and interfere with normal functioning. So what is absent-mindedness and inattention from a medical point of view, how does this condition manifest itself and how to deal with it?

What is attention from a psychological point of view?

Attention is a concept in cognitive psychology that represents the extent to which we process specific information that our brain receives from the environment.
Thanks to attentiveness, the subject’s successful orientation in the surrounding space is ensured, and it also ensures a complete and clear reflection in the psyche. The object of attention falls into the center of our consciousness, other elements are perceived weakly, not clearly, but at the same time the direction of our attention can change.

There are several types of attention:

1. Involuntary type . While working with this type of attention, a person does not make any effort of will to concentrate, he does not even set a goal for himself.
2. Arbitrary type . During this type, a person makes an effort of will to focus on a specific object.
3. Postarbitrary type . During this type of attention, a decrease in volitional efforts is characteristic, but the goal of being attentive remains.

Stress

Constant stress affects the state of the cognitive centers of our brain. A person loses the ability to think clearly and react quickly to the environment.

What to do. Try to have rest sessions at least twice a day. Find a quiet, secluded place and focus on one thought or image. 5-10 minutes of such meditation will be enough to bring your thinking abilities more or less in order.

When to see a doctor. When stress and absent-mindedness develop into depression or sudden unmotivated mood swings.

What is absent-mindedness

First of all, absent-mindedness is a state of inattention, constant forgetfulness, which constantly accompanies a person. It is worth remembering that a person is not born with absent-mindedness, he acquires it throughout his life.

The presence of this disorder in everyday life can lead to various problems, and sometimes quite serious ones. Communication with such people is quite troublesome; they cannot build normal relationships and have a very difficult time at work. Therefore, this condition must be treated so that it does not lead to more serious consequences.

Types of violation

Distracted attention can be of different types:

• functional type;
• poetic look;
• minimal type.

Functional attention disorder

This type of inattention can occur in almost any person as a result of a monotonous and monotonous work process.

This type of malfunction can occur due to problems with sleep, constant headaches, and also if a person has any illnesses.

Minimal distraction

Minimal inattention and forgetfulness is caused by the inability to focus one’s attention on important objects due to deep immersion in one’s personal problems.

This type of disorder occurs due to the fact that a person cannot escape from internal experiences. Personal worries distract him from everything he does.

Poetic nature flies high...

With this disorder of attention, a person is constantly in a state of daydreaming and fantasies. This species has no age restrictions. It applies mainly to people who have a creative character; it is normal for them to be constantly thoughtful, searching, and comprehending.

Lack of sleep

The sleep norm for a person aged 20 to 60 is from 7 to 9 hours a day. If you sleep less, you can develop chronic irritability, weakness, headaches and poor concentration. It’s clear that all this significantly reduces your performance and overall alertness.

What to do. The answer is simple - get enough sleep. Your condition should return to normal.

When to see a doctor. If you sleep more than 8 hours a day and still experience symptoms of sleep deprivation. The reasons can be different: from a basic violation of sleep hygiene to a serious sleep disorder.

Varieties of manifestations

Distracted attention syndrome can manifest itself in different ways, namely:

1. Insufficient concentration - absent-mindedness. As a result of this disorder, there is a decrease in the ability to remember what is seen or heard. Inherent in people who are highly sensitive to various conditions (fatigue, anxiety, lack of sleep).
2. Rigidity is slowness, inhibition, in which there are problems with switching from one topic to another. This condition is observed in patients with epileptic syndrome, hypomania, and hebephrenia.
3. Unstable - spasmodic attention . This condition is characterized by frequent jumping from one topic to another, which results in memory problems. Instability of attention often occurs in children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which leads to memory problems and decreased academic performance.

Distraction of attention - is it a disease, answers the psychotherapist:

Technogenic overload

The latest technologies not only make our lives more convenient, but also completely capture our attention. Up to a certain point, your brain can, like a good secretary, sort everything into shelves and structure its tasks. But the more things you do at once, the more difficult it is to concentrate on each one individually.

Imagine: you are working on an official report, at the same time you are communicating on ICQ, receiving SMS, and even trying to adjust the intensity of the air conditioner. Not surprisingly, the more buttons you press, the faster you forget what you were doing.

What to do. The simplest way out is to keep a diary, writing down everything you need to do today. Also try to arrange days of rest from the Internet and cell phone. You will see that when all these “devices” are turned off, you will complete your work much faster.

When to see a doctor. If, having taken a break from work to send an SMS, you cannot return to work for a long time and are looking for new reasons not to do it.

Oh, I should be absent-minded and inattentive...

Distraction of attention can be caused by various reasons. To begin with, it is worth highlighting factors of a physiological, not pathological type, which provoke inattention, exhaustion, jumps and inertia of attention:

1. Against the background of physical and mental fatigue.
2. For chronic lack of sleep, insomnia.
3. In a profession that requires performing the same monotonous actions or concentrating on the same object. Often, work behind a conveyor belt or behind the wheel causes disturbances in volume and weakening of attention.
4. Sometimes people of certain professions, in the course of their work, develop a habit in which they concentrate on the subject of their scientific research, which entails ignoring everything around them; this is the so-called inertia of attention (switchability disorder). At the same time, memory does not suffer, on the contrary, it improves; it’s just that people working in a scientific field or another field discard everything that is not necessary and try to keep their attention on the most important.
5. Age-related changes. With age, especially in old people over 70, the functions of concentrating attention weaken and disorder occurs.
6. Sometimes strong anxiety prevents you from focusing your attention, which entails a state of absent-mindedness.

Neurological and other disorders

Absent-mindedness, forgetfulness and inattention can occur due to various diseases and disorders in the body:

• during problems with blood supply and nutrition to the brain that are associated with vascular disorders - atherosclerosis, osteochondrosis, dyscirculatory encephalopathy, arterial hypertension, vertebrobasilar insufficiency;
• various tumor disorders, hydrocephalus;
• Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia;
• various mental problems - depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy;
• the appearance of headaches of various origins - migraine, arterial hypertension, vegetative-vascular dystonia, anemia;
• problems with sleep, insomnia;
• state of hypoxia;
• genetic factors;
• if the body has problems with metabolism - diabetes;
• if the body has a lack of useful components (iron, magnesium) or, on the contrary, an excess (lead).

Psychologists identify three types of inattention

"Fluttering" attention

This is a weak concentration of attention, which is characterized by slight involuntary switching. Such inattention is typical, for example, of preschoolers. It occurs when tired, after a sleepless night, during a headache or during monotonous monotonous work. A type of such absent-mindedness is road hypnosis, when a person falls into a state of half-asleep that occurs during a long trip on a calm road.

"Professor's" absent-mindedness

With the second type of inattention, there is a high concentration of attention with difficulty switching, which is characteristic, for example, of scientists focused on their thoughts - the so-called “professorial” absent-mindedness. Many great people were absent-minded because they were focused on their creativity.

For example, N. Zhukovsky, who is called the father of Russian aviation, once received guests in his own living room. A few hours later he got up, put on his hat and began to say goodbye, apologizing that he had stayed too long visiting and it was time to go home.

And the English mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton once decided to boil an egg and put a watch in the water instead. There were also such oddities: the astronomer Galileo did not recognize his wife in his marital bed, because he forgot that he was married. And the historian Mommsen, looking for his glasses, thanked the girl who gave them to him and asked her name. “Anna, your daughter, dad,” the girl answered.

The same type of inattention is found in people who are haunted by obsessive thoughts, or in people who are too absorbed in the implementation of an overvalued idea - a fixed idea.

Poor concentration

And the third type of inattention is a weak concentration of attention with even weaker switchability. It is typical for people who have reduced strength and mobility of nervous processes. Usually in this case they talk about senile absent-mindedness. In healthy people, these processes decrease when overworked.

It is curious that psychologists, studying absent-mindedness and forgetfulness, observed a group of people during an experiment and noticed that in men these properties “exacerbated” in the period from 8 to 10 o’clock in the morning, and in women from 10 to 12 o’clock. And regardless of gender, the peak of errors was observed from 4 to 6 pm and from 8 to 10 pm.

Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in children are the main signs of ADHD

Often, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in children and very young people are characterized by an inability to control themselves. A child’s attention depends on many psychological processes that occur in the body. At the very beginning of his journey, he needs motivation and control from his parents.

Confusion and lack of self-control are often one of the main signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). If a child has this disorder, then he or she develops absent-mindedness such as “fluttering” attention. The main features of this condition are a low level of concentration and rapid involuntary switching of attention.

Causes and symptoms

Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in young children can be provoked by seemingly harmless factors and reasons:

• various preservatives, flavorings, and other food additives that are found in large quantities in modern delicacies;
• medications that are derivatives of salicylic acid;
• if there is an increased craving for sweets;
• problems with carbohydrate metabolism;
• the occurrence of allergic reactions to food;
• if there is a lack of necessary chemical components for the child’s body, especially iron and magnesium;
• if there is an increased level of heavy metal - lead in the blood. Its excess can lead to severe pathologies of the central nervous system and mental retardation.

If a child develops ADHD, he or she may exhibit the following symptoms:

• a state of hyperexcitability, restlessness, constant fuss;
• often switches from one activity to another, while not completing the previous task;
• the child cannot concentrate himself on one specific task;
• he has poor memory, jerky movements, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness.

In addition to these symptoms, you should pay attention to other signs:

• the child cannot concentrate on a specific task and is constantly distracted from it;
• often loses or forgets his school supplies, things, toys;
• constantly refuses to perform certain work, during which concentration and perseverance are required;
• problems with academic performance due to the fact that the child cannot complete even simple tasks;
• slowness;
• is in constant daydreaming;
• does not listen to instructions;
• can quickly switch to another task without fully completing the previous one.

Goals and methods of diagnosis

The primary stage of diagnosis for attention disorders and absent-mindedness includes the following examinations:

1. Examination by a neurologist . During the examination, the doctor should assess the state of fine motor skills, as well as identify neuralgic symptoms.
2. Conducting a survey with filling out a diagnostic card.
3. Conducting neuropsychological testing . During this examination, the level of attention, intellectual abilities, performance on a long task and other conditions are assessed.

In addition, instrumental examinations are carried out and laboratory tests are taken:

• biochemical blood test , which determines the level of sugar, trace elements - iron, magnesium and lead, and studies dopamine metabolism;
• genetic tests;
• conducting ultrasound of the blood vessels of the head with Doppler ;
• electroencephalography (EEG, video-EEG) using evoked potentials (EP) methods;
• carrying out magnetic resonance imaging .

Set of measures

Treatment for ADHD and related disorders should be comprehensive and should consist of the following steps:

• behavior correction techniques;
• psychotherapeutic methods;
• neuropsychological correction.

Correcting absent-mindedness in a child can be done with the help of activities that are aimed at improving concentration. During these classes, various puzzles and logical problems are solved. All activities must be clearly distributed throughout the day, and the main time must be allocated for physical activity and rest. However, if this treatment does not work, other types of treatment may be used.

The main medications that help combat absent-mindedness, forgetfulness and inattention in a child are psychostimulants, which should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor:

1. Glycine . This remedy increases performance, improves mental activity, and has a beneficial effect on the central nervous system. Take 1 tablet under the tongue per day.
2. Piracetam . Improves mental activity. Take 30-50 mg per day.
3. Biotredin . Has a positive effect on cognitive functions. Increases alertness and improves memory. The dose of the drug is 2 mcg per 1 kilogram of body weight, taken for 3-10 days.
4. Phenibut . Improves blood circulation in the brain, improves mental activity and memory properties. The dosage is up to 250 mg per day.

All drugs have contraindications and side effects, so be sure to read the instructions for use before use.

During physiotherapeutic treatment the following procedures are performed:

• laser therapy, the full course consists of 7-10 procedures, during each of which 3-5 zones of the body are irradiated;
• DMV therapy, it consists of 8-10 procedures;
• inhalation procedures 5-10;
• UV treatment of the nasopharynx, the full course consists of 3-5 procedures;
• a course of magnetic therapy, which consists of 8-10 procedures.

How to develop attentiveness will be useful for both children and adults:

Let's look at typical examples

Olya, 7 years old. The girl does well at school. But when she returns home from school, she cries for a long time for no apparent reason. In class, Olya reacts to everything she doesn’t like with tears, and this pushes her classmates away. The girl is worried, but cannot control herself.

Olya's mother brought with her the results of her school drawing test. When the girl imitated the phrase “hard work,” she drew a picture of a school building. The school psychologist absolutely correctly determined that the girl was experiencing severe overload.

But we cannot individually select a curriculum for each student. What should I do?

Artem, 8 years old. Mom's complaints about lack of interest in studying, numerous mistakes in writing, unsatisfactory grades, excitability, conflict, unsatisfactory behavior at school.

Artem does not sit quietly in class; his diligent behavior lasts for about 10 minutes. The grades in his diary are varied - from two to four. He teaches lessons for about five hours, constantly being distracted by any little things. Although sometimes, if there is something interesting ahead, the boy can complete assignments in all subjects quickly and well. “He’s smart, but he’s lazy,” says the teacher.

He doesn’t have a good time with his friends in class, because he often completely unconsciously commits actions that are accepted by children as intentionally harmful. His behavior becomes uncontrollable, and outwardly it looks like foolishness.

How to improve Artyom’s school life?

Julia, 11 years old. Parents' complaints about absolute illiteracy, absent-mindedness, “stupid” mistakes in notebooks, lack of interest in learning. Despite these shortcomings, the girl is very smart, talks like an adult on any topic, and adequately evaluates herself. I have an excerpt from her essay on a free topic: “Once upon a time there was a Button, there were four sisters on one shirt, and when it came off, for some reason they sewed it back with black thread. She was offended and decided to break away forever. She turned around, twirled on her thin leg, the thread frayed, the button fell and was lost... First, she rolled into a dark crevice and floor and was afraid that she would never get out, and then, when she succeeded, she wiped away her tears and went to travel around the world..." . The following describes Button's adventures in a water hatch, on a fireman's jacket, and so on. Teacher's rating: “5” for content and “2” for literacy, which is quite fair: there are countless mistakes in it...

Where does a smart girl make such mistakes? What to do with Yulia?

What should parents of an inattentive child do?

Parents play an important role when their child has problems with attentiveness and perseverance. They must fulfill the following requirements:

• be sure to adapt to your child’s routine and constantly comply with it;
• control that the child feels calm during the day, so that he does not become overtired; it is also not advisable for him to spend a long time in front of the TV or computer screen;
• try to interest the child in some sports games, you can sign him up for the pool, and also go with him constantly for walks in the fresh air;
• It is advisable to avoid visiting places with large crowds of people and not to invite a large number of guests.

A child’s attention must be trained from childhood so that in the future he does not develop a state of restlessness, loss and absent-mindedness.
It is advisable to interest him in various educational games. Even in infancy, you need to show different toys and name them so that he can already focus on them. If suddenly you have already noticed signs of attention disorder in your child, then it is necessary at the initial stage to begin to independently develop attentiveness and determination.

Buy educational games, construction sets, mosaics. The child must develop perseverance, and each lesson must be completed to the end, and to facilitate this process, parents must help him with this.

Sedentary lifestyle

Many studies have confirmed that regular exercise gives mental clarity and memory strength. In addition, they will help eliminate the very causes of inattention. For example, they will relieve you of excess energy, leading to that same hyperactivity, or they will exhaust you so much that your sleep will be long and sound.

What to do. If you can't go to the gym, limit yourself to 20 minutes of exercise every morning. Or try to walk more - fresh air and sunlight will also help improve your mood and ability to perceive.

When to see a doctor. If you can’t sit still for more than 5 minutes and constantly walk back and forth around the office, without any objective purpose. By the way, too much exercise can also be a painful symptom. If you are drawn to squeezing the last juices out of yourself for 2-3 hours a day, it is better to make sure of the usefulness of your exercises by consulting with your doctor.

Continued: How to become attentive →