Do People With ADHD Have Bad Memory? Why You Feel Forgetful and How to Improve Focus

There’s a memorable scene from the sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” that I’ve had relayed to me by patients more than a few times in the past few years.  The scene illustrates a sequence of events that many people with ADHD can relate to.

One of the characters, Hal, attempts to turn on his kitchen light and finds the lightbulb is out.  He goes to the closet to grab a lightbulb, but the shelf collapses.  Hal then grabs a screwdriver from a drawer in an attempt to repair the shelf and finds that the drawer is making a metallic squeaking sound.  He grabs some WD-40 to fix the squeaking drawer, but the can is empty.  He then grabs his keys to go out and purchase more WD-40; however, his car won’t start.  Hal’s wife finds him outside, underneath the car, trying to get it to start again.  She asks him politely, “Hal, do you think you can change that lightbulb in the kitchen?”  Hal irritably snarls back, “What does it look like I’m doing?!”

Why People With ADHD Often Feel Forgetful

One of the reasons that this scene is both humorous and relatable to those with AD/HD is that it demonstrates a kind of “bottom-up processing” that often undermines a person’s ability to follow through on tasks.  A person may get so sidetracked by the problem in front of them, that they forget what they initially set out to do.  This is opposed to a “top-down processing” in which a person’s actions are directed by their intentions.  The concept of “top-down” vs “bottom-up” processing can provide a framework to understand why some with ADHD believe they “can’t remember anything” or “have a bad memory.”

How ADHD Disrupts Memory Formation

One of the typical suggestions made for memorization is repetition.  Think back to when you were in school.  Teachers, parents and tutors may have often suggested that you read and re-read material until you can recall it from memory.  Even for motor memory, you likely had to try and pedal a bike multiple times before being able to reproduce the motions necessary to keep your balance and propel yourself forward.  In either case, repetition is often the key in storing long-term information.

For those with ADHD, there are many points along the way in which symptoms of ADHD can interfere with the repetition necessary to store information long-term.  Let’s use the example of trying to remember items needed at the grocery store.

Key Executive Function Challenges That Affect Memory

• Behavioral inhibition: The ability to pause or resist distractions. For example, sticking to your grocery list instead of impulsively buying something else.
• Verbal working memory: Your internal dialogue. Repeating “eggs, milk, bread” in your mind to retain it.
• Nonverbal working memory: Visualizing tasks or environments, like mentally walking through the grocery store.
• Emotional regulation: Staying calm and focused when something frustrating happens, such as losing a parking spot.

Behavioral inhibition is the ability to stop yourself from engaging in an unwanted or unhelpful behavior.  If you were to see an advertisement for pizza at the grocery store, the ability to stop yourself from purchasing the pizza and stick to your plan of buying what is on your list is an example of behavioral inhibition.

Nonverbal working memory is the ability to hold visual information in your mind.  We might use nonverbal working memory to visualize ourselves in the aisles of the supermarket and visually rehearse the route we could use to purchase the items on our list.

Verbal working memory is our internalized speech.  When we are mentally repeating “eggs, milk, bread,” in our minds, we our using our verbal working memory to help repeat the items enough to encode them to memory.

Emotional regulation refers to our ability to calm ourselves when we experience intense emotions.  If someone took our parking spot at the grocery store, we would use these skills to help calm us down and stay focused on the task in front of us.

ADHD vs Age-Related Memory Loss

There are many steps along the way where symptoms of ADHD can interfere with our ability to retain information long enough to encode it into long-term memory.  As a result, many with ADHD may label themselves as “forgetful” or believe they have a “bad memory.”  While it may be functionally true that it is harder for those with ADHD to hold onto information as long as they would like, this process is different than other conditions such as age-related memory loss.

With ADHD, external or internal distractions can interfere with encoding information in long-term memory or detract from one’s ability to access information that is stored long-term.  This is different than the kinds of recall problems that we would see from someone with age-related memory loss.  Put simply, those with ADHD have more problems with distraction than with the ability to encode and recall long-term information per say.

When to Consider an ADHD Evaluation

It can be difficult to determine on your own whether problems with forgetfulness might be a function of ADHD.  Generally speaking, if these moments are relatively rare and don’t significantly impact your ability to live your life, an evaluation may not be necessary.  For others, if these problems happen often and repeatedly, have been present for much of your life and cause problems at work, school and/or home, an evaluation could be useful and help you determine why this is happening and what can be done about it.

Treatment Options for ADHD-Related Memory Issues

For those with ADHD, there are treatment options in place that can help improve your ability to function and stay on top of your intentions.  Behaviorally, ADHD coaching can help you install systems that can reduce your “cognitive load,” or your mental bandwidth of things you can reasonably handle.  Learning organizational skills so that you can free up more of your mind so that you can think clearly while keeping track of your important obligations.

Coaching can help you implement these skills in ways that are sustainable and offers individualized feedback that is unique to your symptoms and life circumstances.  Medication can also assist in improving attention and lengthening focus which can allow for better encoding to long-term memory.

The issues related to memory and ADHD can be addressed and managed through treatment, and they are different than other age-related or other neurological conditions affecting memory directly.  A combination of medication management and the development of executive functioning skills can help keep a person on-task, facilitating their ability to retain information and improving their ability to follow through on their intentions more consistently.

Practical Strategies to Improve Memory With ADHD

In addition to formal treatment, small adjustments can make memory more reliable in daily life:

• Use external systems like lists, reminders, and calendars
• Break tasks into smaller, repeatable steps
• Reduce distractions during important tasks
• Create consistent routines to limit decision fatigue
• Repeat information out loud or write it down to reinforce encoding