Slow thinking

I know slow thinking/processing is a part of depression but recently I have come to realise that my thinking processes never came to the speed they were following a severe depressive episode 3 years ago.

I need time to process, I like company but often can't keep up with the pace of conversation, I can follow the conversation but can't process and respond quickly enough so don't tend to contribute as much (it's better in smaller groups/one to one but still I can struggle). People will often comment that I'm quiet but I don't like to tell many people why.

Has anyone else experienced this? How do you cope with it? Have you found ways of improving your processing speed or do you accept it as it is?

I've been diagnosed in the past with ADHD inattentive type, which can include the feature of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), and it was certainly a predominant feature for me. SCT is symptom cluster that's also looked at as possibly being a distinct disorder, but the research on that has been pretty limited thus far.

My most recent major depressive episode has resulted in distinctly slower cognitive tempo for me, and for a long time I tried to compensate for it, tried to power through it to achieve the kinds of levels people were used to seeing from me, but in doing so I just caused myself energy debts I couldn't repay. I've definitely re-calibrated my life around it, accepted (at least for the present moment) the change it represents. Not happily so, but at some point I just decided I had to go with that adage of "start from where you are", because where else am I going to start from, really?

If you need something to tell people when they say you're quiet (which would annoy me, personally), you could just tell them something like you suppose you've become more thoughtful.. accurate enough but not personal. I'm actually pretty social, but even at a party I'm usually only chatting with 2 or 3 people at a time. Fighting to get a word in edgewise in a complicated group situation is not my style...

Good luck

Could've written your post.
Twenty yrs of meds, age 58, major stress in past 5 yrs including illness & death of my mother Nov 2014 haven't helped.
Depressing shuts me down emotionally, as in I don't give a flip about most things.
Exceptions are hubby, my dogs. Would have to think long & hard about anything else, oh I would love to travel...lottery money...

Thanks Vonmoxie, I looked up the article on SCT sounds quite like me in many ways, I'm just hoping it's not permanent.

2 or 3 at a time is basically my max, I get really disorientated in larger groups - guess it's on my mind as it's Christmas party season so lots of challenges ahead. Thanks so much for your advice, I will try that.