There are memory problems that come with aging that, in some people, start earlier than in others. But that sort of memory loss is usually attended by other signs of cognitive decline. My boyfriend is 18 years older than I am and starting to have mild memory loss. But he shows some loss of mental functioning across the board. He can't add up a column of figures on paper. He mixes up his daughters' names. He's less imaginative than he used to be.

Your post, at the top of this thread, is very well written. It is well organized, articulate and focused on the point you are making. Grammer and spelling are fine, as is punctuation and spacing of sentences. You don't strike me as having any cognitive deficit. So my guess would be the same as your doctor's. Mental health issues, such as depression, apathy, dissassociation and anxiety can absolutely produce exactly the kind of problem you are describing.

We hear about dissociation in people with multipersonality disorders. Most people who dissociate do so in a far less dramatic manner. It can seem like just a persistant lack of focus and attentiveness. I've struggled with it myself a lot, and I'm sure it's related to my long history if depression and anxiety. It's there however, even when I think I feel fine. I spend a lot of time wandering around parking lots, looking for my car.

There is formal testing that you can get to assess your problem. Your doctor hasn't recommended that because he is not seeing other signs of real cognitive deterioration.

I've seen other people with the very same problem. It can be awfully hard to cope with, even when a person is sure they are trying their very best to be on the ball.

When life has been unsatisfying, the mind has a way of checking out. It can be totally beyond your control. I come up with little strategies to try and compensate for my forgetfulness. Making notes to myself helps. In the end, though, I got on disability partly because I was failing on jobs due to memory problems.

Look at other aspects of your mental functioning. Are you able to drive a car competently, through heavy traffic? If so, then the problem probably isn't rooted in some true loss of normal memory. Your mind, for whatever reasons, may be disassociating from your environment. It sounds like that was happening way back during your teenage years. That could explain you not having a lot of content in your memory bank. You might be better at remembering ideas that engaged your attention when you were younger.

Working at an animal rescue center involves a good deal of drudgery. Ask yourself if this is really what you want to be doing. Of course, sometimes, we don't have a lot of options to choose from.