When people say that they can't concentrate, it usually means that they cannot stay focused on one thing for as long as they would like. Most of us experience lapses in concentration every day. We are not usually concerned about it; we may not even notice these lapses in concentration. They only become a problem when we find that we cannot get things done as quickly as we would like, or when they cause us to make mistakes.
You do not concentrate when you allow your environment to distract you, and/or your thoughts and feelings to interrupt you. Your thoughts are scattered; your mind jumps from one thing to another like a monkey. It helps to learn and to practice concentration strategies, to harness your monkey mind, so that it works at your will. If you know the causes of your poor concentration, you can learn to control these factors.
Memory loss (amnesia) on the other hand is unusual forgetfulness that can be caused by brain damage due to disease or injury, or it can be caused by severe emotional trauma. The cause determines whether amnesia comes on slowly or suddenly, and whether it is temporary or permanent.
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Normal aging may result in trouble learning new material or requiring longer time to recall learned material. However, it does not lead to dramatic memory loss unless diseases are involved. Some common causes may include:
• Aging
• Alzheimer's disease
• Neurodegenerative illness
• Head trauma or injury
• Hysteria often accompanied by confusion
• Seizures
• General anesthetics such as halothane, isoflurane, and fentanyl
• Alcoholism
• Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Transient global amnesia
• Drugs such as barbiturates or benzodiazepines
• Electroconvulsive therapy (especially if prolonged)
• Temporal lobe brain surgery
• Brain masses (caused by tumors or infection)
• Herpes encephalitis
• Other brain infections
• Depression
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