No room to think: depressive thoughts may have a negative effect on working memory

http://goo.gl/afcLRw

"Results from these studies imply that mood-congruent information evokes controlled attention deficits in individuals with depressed mood," the authors conclude. "If mood-congruent information is not able to be efficiently removed from the focus of attention, we would expect this to result in a relative decrease in working-memory capacity for individuals with depressed mood compared to those without depressed mood."

With day-to-day memory and concentration difficulties a defining feature of both clinical depression and dysphoria, understanding the link between the two is of vital importance to improving the wellbeing of those who experience either condition.