{"id":17800,"date":"2024-01-22T15:14:58","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T23:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.helloklarity.com\/?p=17800"},"modified":"2024-02-16T05:15:41","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T13:15:41","slug":"false-memory-ocd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.helloklarity.com\/post\/false-memory-ocd\/","title":{"rendered":"What is false memory OCD and who can help?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If someone regularly finds themself in a state of rumination<\/a> \u2013 or dwelling \u2013 on events from the near or distant past, distrusting their memories of the event and worrying they did something wrong, they might be experiencing false memory OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), a subtype of OCD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If confusion about past events leads to persistent anxiety for you or someone you know, the providers on the Klarity platform can help. On Klarity, people can hand-pick their own mental health therapist trained and experienced in OCD treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is false memory OCD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) broadly defines OCD as the combination of obsessions and compulsions \u201cthat cause major distress or disruption to daily living.\u201d As an OCD subtype, false memory OCD is also characterized by obsessions and compulsions and a disruption to daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obsessions are intrusive thoughts, feelings, urges, and doubts, while compulsions are repetitive physical or mental actions performed to relieve anxiety. A person who experiences OCD is trapped in a closed-loop cycle that\u2019s extremely intense and constantly feeds on itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with false memory OCD obsessively doubt their memories of a past event or situation. The doubt includes intense feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety. Their doubt focuses on moral issues and whether or not they did something bad, inappropriate, or wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They use compulsion to try to validate that they did or didn\u2019t do something wrong, typically without success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unique aspect of false memory OCD is that the event may or may not have really taken place. Even when the event did occur, over time, the memory of it becomes distorted by obsessive doubt (thereby making the memory largely false). The \u201cmemory\u201d may also be completely made up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The false memory obsession-compulsion cycle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An example of the obsession-compulsion cycle of false memory OCD looks like this. After going to a convenience store with friends, someone with false memory OCD may worry about whether or not they paid for their items or walked out of the store without paying. This doubt is the obsession and where the cycle starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To try to alleviate the anxiety about the potential of stealing, the person may repeatedly look for receipts or seek reassurance from their friends. These actions and thoughts are the compulsions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with OCD, even getting confirmation from a receipt and friends may not be enough to stop the rumination about stealing. So the obsession continues. That\u2019s the cycle and it\u2019s often never-ending and so negatively impacts the person\u2019s daily life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the symptoms of false memory OCD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Forgetting an event or a situation or worrying about one\u2019s actions isn\u2019t enough to diagnose false memory OCD. Someone with false memory OCD is extremely bothered by their doubts, and the memories they create become very real to them. So much so that it impacts their daily life and functioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, the symptoms of false memory OCD include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n