Cognitive difficulty or cognitive impairment is when a person finds it challenging to learn new things, concentrate, or make decisions. The symptoms can be mild to severe. In mild cases, the person will be able to carry daily activities even with the impairment, but in severe cases, they find it difficult to live independently.
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I am having anxiety issues after my father's demise. Kindly help.
Query: Hello doctor, I had numbness after my father's death. It has been two years since then. There was also a decline in cognitive capability. The brain gets easily drained and stops to think after a certain time in an exam. Old memories are blurry. There is huge resistance to thinking about something wi... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Thank you for taking help from a psychiatrist. I can understand your situation. You may have mixed anxiety and depressive disorder. There is a non-pharmacological management for it, and you should try to follow the below guidelines to deal with it. It will help you. ... Read Full »
Query: Hello doctor,I have a past history of schizophrenia and OCD. I am not in any medication now for the past two months. Currently taking only L-Carnoshine for the past two months for cognition improvement. My question is, should I take Omega-3 also with L-Carnosine for better and fast results for cogni... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I thoroughly read your query and can understand your situation. I suggest you take both the above medications and also take Ashwagandha with milk at night for it. Following are my suggestions to improve cognitive function, and will help you: Exercises daily for 30... Read Full »
Query: Hello doctor,I am a 24-year-old male with mild to moderate untreated sleep apnea for two years. Will my cognitive abilities (ability to think, learn and concentrate) return to baseline after the initiation of CPAP therapy, or will there always be some permanent deficit? I took the Covid vaccine thre... Read Full »
Dr. Saraswat Kumarshri Shriniwas
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I do not see any reason for your cognitive abilities not to return to baseline after treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. The first thing to do would be to confirm obstructive sleep apnea and get proper AHI (apnea-hypopnea index) from a polysomnography study. I wou... Read Full »
What might help a person with difficulty in processing information and direction?
Query: Hello doctor, My son is 21-year-old. His weight is 130 lbs, and his height is 6'6''. He has been having difficulty with memory and getting direction and information properly. I did a neurotransmitter test for him. The result came GABA 1.04, serotonin 54.36, and glutamate 10.34 which is low. What kin... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. These findings indicate low neurotransmitters (serotonin, GABA) which may be responsible for his problems. These findings could also indicate anxiety or depression. I suggest doing complete blood count and checking thyroid hormone levels. Considering his young age,... Read Full »
Query: Hello doctor,I have to continuously breathe through my mouth due to nasal airway occlusion, which leads to concentration problems. Will this remain permanent if left untreated in adults? Will adult patients require treatment for managing cognitive or learning symptoms? Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Mouth breathing in adults due to obstruction of nasal passages can be treated with medicines or surgical procedures depending on the cause of nasal obstruction. For example, a structural deformity leading to an obstruction like deviated nasal septum or concha bullosa... Read Full »
I have anxiety and feel low. Please help.
Query: Hello doctor, I am not on any medicicnes but yes I have tried before. I am very active, successful and driven. My world is just a dark place and I really do not know why. There is no reason for it to be, but it just is. It has gotten worse over the years and now I cannot deal with the anxiety, I ca... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I am sorry to hear about this, I can understand how hard it is for you right now. Personal beliefs and thoughts are formed through our experiences, social background, parenting and family structure., during our childhood. As you have mentioned, that you have always felt... Read Full »
Will my cognitive deficits reverse after taking treatment?
Query: Hi doctor, I had a psychotic episode five months back, and I was treated with Olanzapine. Unfortunately, I stopped the medication abruptly, and since then, I have noticed bad cognitive deficits and deficits in empathy. I am being treated again after three months without medication and this time with... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Thanks for writing in, and I understand your concern. I suggest that you may have psychosis. It will affect cognition if you have a long duration of psychosis. It is reversible if you take care of your cognition. I suggest continuing your medication and to follow... Read Full »
Why am I having problem in understanding what others are saying?
Query: Hello doctor, I have a problem in understanding what others are saying. I can hear sound but cannot understand words. I have done hearing test many times in the hospital recommended by the doctor but the doctor always said that my ear is fine. This problem is there always. I do not understand what o... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Your problem is not related to hearing loss, nor it is high-frequency hearing loss if your audiogram is normal. It is related to a problem in one center in your brain which makes you understand what other person speaks. I would advise you to consult a neuro physician fo... Read Full »
Do nootropic drugs fall under addictive medications?
Query: Hi doctor, My son is not so good at education and not showing active interest. Does nootropic drug help to improve? He has asthma. He is not taking any medications now and uses an inhaler. He is 14 years old and studying in grade 9. Do nootropics come under the category of addictive drugs? Can we u... Read Full »
Dr. Satpute Ganeshkumar Suresh
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. You can use nootropics (cognitive enhancers), but most probably it would not help. Also, they are not habit forming and you can stop them anytime. Rather than nootropic drugs, you can try some physical methods like behavior modification. It is better if you find his i... Read Full »
Are cognitive symptoms after psychotic episode permanent?
Query: Hi doctor,Are the cognitive symptoms (lower IQ, difficulty with abstract thinking and empathy) after a psychotic episode (schizoaffective disorder) permanent? Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Thanks for writing in, and I understand your concern. Cognitive issues in schizoaffective disorder are not permanent. With symptomatic improvement in core psychotic symptoms, the cognitive symptoms revert. I cannot comment on IQ (intelligence quotient), but yes, ... Read Full »