ABSTRACT
Anxiety can sometimes significantly disrupt attention and concentration. A small amount of arousal/anxiety is helpful as it increases attention and performance. Many people try brain-training programmes like Luminosity or Cogmed, which promise to improve attention, memory and mental processing speeds. Memory problems in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are mainly due to problems with attention. In people with ADHD, taking information into long-term memory may be affected by poor attention. Retrieval may be difficult if information has been taken in in a disorganised manner. Most people need some kind of diary, either in a book or on their computer or phone. Some people like to keep a voice recorder on them to record any ideas they have or other things they need to remember. Visual memory is often much more reliable than verbal, and making words or a message into a picture helps retention as it allows information to be encoded both visually and verbally.
