ADHD and Dementia: Are you losing your memory in your 20s?
ADHD and Dementia: Are you losing your memory in your 20s?
THE SHORT ANSWER IS: IT’S UNLIKELY. This is a common question that comes up with my clients. Just this month, two of my recent referrals shared notable anxiety regarding the possibility that they were experiencing dementia in their early 20s. Of course, I never like to dismiss anything before a proper medical investigation. If you are worried about having dementia, talking to your doctor and arranging proper testing is encouraged. However, early onset dementia, which is the label given for anyone diagnosed under the age of 65, is fairly rare. For those in early adulthood, it’s far rarer still. The most common dementia type seen in very young adults is called frontotemporal dementia, which tends to be diagnosed after notable behavioral changes are observed.
The Problem
Most of the young people I’ve met who have entered therapy with this concern have met criteria for ADHD. Something notable for those with ADHD is that they often have difficulty storing information rather than recalling it. To use a computer analogy, memory is information being stored to the hard drive and being recalled from it. Most people with ADHD actually have no difficulty recalling what is stored on that hard drive. In fact, sometimes they are exceptional at it. The true issue is that things are often not stored in the first place. Many think that if they were present when they were told something that it had to make it into their memory. This is not true.
Attention and focus are the keys to having information stored on that hard drive. Those of us with ADHD often are juggling lots of things at once, are quick to notice new things that pop up, and commonly have a steady low-grade anxiety. In fact, they traditionally experience emotions more swiftly and more intensely. Combined with greater difficulties regulating their emotions, the deck is stacked against them. If this is you or someone you know, I encourage that you be understanding of how much is working against you or someone you know if they have ADHD. The beautiful thing is that all of this can be worked and improved.
The Solutions
There are three solutions that I’ll cover here, but there are lots of other great options out there. My aim is to give a general gameplan for anyone to have a template to build upon. ADHD is one of the few conditions that does come with robust strengths alongside the areas of challenge. Some of these solutions will lean on these natural strengths. Some of what’s shared will be things that many of us have been told before and hopefully some will be new.
The first key strategy that can be incorporated is to practice going slow enough for information to be properly stored. We’ve all learned this the hard way by rushing and forgetting where we put our phone or keys. The swiftness of our actions, being mentally elsewhere, and feeling stressed is a perfect storm of awfulness here. An excellent way to slow down is to practice writing. Physically writing with pen and paper is a good bit better than typing.
The next step is to create information rather than only consuming it. Anytime that we generate something from our minds, we are more likely to commit it to our memories. So, by putting something in your own words before writing it will be more effective. If you are using voice notes, the same rule applies. Try to reword it before speaking it.
Managing the fear of forgetting. What I’ve seen is that my clients with ADHD do forget things but not as often as they think. By living a rich history of forgetting important things and making mistakes, many with ADHD have developed a near constant level of anxiety. Initially, that anxiety does help them to remember things more. Over time, this stress causes far more harm than good.
My favorite way to begin addressing this fear of forgetting is ask my clients what they’ve forgotten since our last session. I then ask what they did to overcome this forgetting. I ask them to write this out before our session to help have this information be remembered more effectively. If they haven’t forgotten all that much, we want them to remember that they have remembered and been on top of things. After acknowledging this, they are quick to undermine their success. However, over time, the success is difficult to ignore and changes how they view themselves. It takes time, but it’s so worth it. I’ve seen so many clients improve dramatically without having that faith in themselves. This practice can be improved by doing it on a daily basis by creating a writing ritual at the end of each day.
If you’ve struggled with lots of what’s been talked about here, I encourage getting connected with a therapist. If you are located in any of the states posted below, don’t hesitate to reach out to see if we are a good fit to work together. Click here to get connected.
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Written by Dr. Luke Bieber on December 20, 2025.
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