Absent-mindedness can usually be a result of a variety of other conditions often diagnosed by clinicians such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression.
Some are merely inconvenient, such as missing a familiar turn-off on the highway, while some are extremely serious, such as failures of attention that cause accidents, injury, or loss of life.
[6] Beyond the obvious costs of accidents arising from lapses in attention, there are lost time; efficiency; personal productivity; and quality of life.
This stereotypical view can be traced back as far as the philosopher Thales, who it is said, "walked at night with his eyes focused on the heavens and, as a result, fell down a well".
[9][10] One classic example of this is in the Disney film The Absent-Minded Professor made in 1963 and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity", by Samuel W. Taylor.
Two examples of this character portrayed in more modern media include doctor Emmett Brown from Back to the Future and Professor Farnsworth of Futurama.
In literature, "The Absent-Minded Beggar" is a poem by Rudyard Kipling, written in 1899,[11] and was directed at the absent–mindedness of the population of Great Britain in ignoring the plight of their troops in the Boer War.
The poem was also set to music by Gilbert & Sullivan and a campaign raised to support the British troops, especially on their departure and return, and the sick and wounded.
Some examples include: altering work schedules to make them shorter, having frequent rest periods and utilizing a drowsy-operator warning device.