How can it be diagnosed that the memory problems are caused by the drugs?
Memory problems, attention and concentration disorders can have many causes. For clarification, the most important thing is therefore the medical history, in which the doctor asks the patient about the disorders and possible triggers. If the patient reports drug use, this is usually the reason he or she is looking for. Nevertheless, additional examinations are carried out, such as imaging of the central nervous system, and a psychological clarification in order to rule out neurological or other psychiatric diseases and to determine any consequential damage that has already occurred due to the drugs.
What other accompanying symptoms are there?
Every substance has a more or less specific pattern of damage, in which memory problems are only a part of the total brain damage. Drugs such as alcohol and amphetamines, which are toxic to all nerve cells, damage all areas of the brain and users therefore experience problems with every cognitive performance, even motor skills. Thinking is slowed down, judgment is impaired, concentration is disturbed, attention is reduced and fine motor skills are not tuned.
Such brain damage can make the addict an absolute caregiver, both mentally and physically, for a long time. Drug use also increases susceptibility to mental illnesses, such as depression, behavioral problems and even schizophrenic disorders. Substances such as ecstasy, which influence the messenger substances in the brain, can also trigger psychiatric symptoms via this mechanism. Memory disorders are therefore only one of many cognitive problems caused by the use of drugs.
What can be done about the memory problems?
Of course, the memory problems can only get better once the trigger is removed – the person must therefore stop using drugs. Whether and when the memory recovers depends on the type, amount and duration of drug use. “Light” drugs such as cannabis and alcohol usually only lead to temporary limitations in memory performance, which disappear again after a period of abstinence.
Even the occasional use of so-called “party drugs” such as LSD or Ecstasy only leads to permanent limitations after a longer period of use. “Hard” drugs such as crystal meth, on the other hand, cause devastating damage to the brain within a very short time, which cannot be reversed. But even long-term alcohol consumption destroys many nerve cells that cannot regenerate. So if the drugs have caused structural damage to the brain, the patient only has access to rehabilitative measures such as memory training.