Host: Chris Trondsen, AMFT, APCC
Panelist: Patrick McGrath, PhD
Real Event OCD is a subtype where one has intrusive thoughts and compulsions around past actions. A person with Real Event OCD experiences intense anxiety over what they did in the past and spends extensive energy attempting to gain certainty about the past event and trying to figure out whether they’ve done something immoral or wrong.
False Memory OCD is a subtype with thoughts and compulsions around doubting a past event. People with False Memory OCD experience frequent doubts about things that have happened to them and they may be convinced that they have done something wrong despite no evidence of these memories being factual.
Both subtypes drive an individual to engage in mental and physical compulsions to gain certainty about their memories.
