"Remembering" Something That Didn't Happen

Anyways, I was really mad at my Mom about something. Then, I began entertaining in my mind, "what if" she said this really horrible thing to me in the past (not recently at all). I started thinking that she could have said it, but I didn't remember. Then, I began thinking back for a few minutes to try and remember if she had said this horrible thing that would be completely out of character for her. Then, I had this "memory" of it that seemed real. However, I also doubted it, since it would be totally out of character for her. Note that we're going back years here. Sometimes, when I think about something and start thinking that maybe it happened, I'll have a memory of it, when it wasn't the case. Now with this, even after I thought to myself that it couldn't have actually been the case, I keep going back over it. I just keep wondering. Can OCD make you think something that didn't happen, because what I was thinking would be totally out of character and wouldn't even seem plausible.

Memory is a tricky thing. Since they can be vague, half-remembered, or even made up (but still believed), they are a perfect source for OCD to use as fodder for anxiety, because the truth can never really be known.

So, in a way, yes, OCD can use memory to create a false belief. However, most people will obsess about the "reality" of such a thing, whether is happened or not - as it seems to be for you. And, as in your case, even though it seems unbelievable people with OCD will still have intrusive thoughts telling them "what if".

If a memory is fabricated and believed in, and used in real life, something else might be happening.

There are many ways in which memory plays a part in mental illness.

Otter.