False Memories in Depression and Anxiety Disorders: Cognitive Mechanisms and Experimental Findings

Major depression and anxiety disorders are characterized by negative moods that are prolonged, intense, and persistent compared to transient, experimentally induced, or self-reported mood changes. The mood-congruent memory effect has been extensively demonstrated in studies involving individuals with depression and anxiety disorders. However, the effect of mood-congruent false memories has been investigated in fewer studies. This review examines the mechanisms underlying false memories in depression and anxiety disorders using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm and critically discusses current empirical findings. Available evidence indicates that the mood-congruent false memory effect is frequently observed in depression, whereas this effect appears to be more limited in anxiety disorders. Cognitive biases or heightened activation levels toward mood-congruent information (particularly concepts related to depression or threat) in these disorders may impair cognitive control processes or hinder effective monitoring, consequently increasing susceptibility to false memories. Furthermore, existing studies suggest that backward associative strength, resting activation levels, expertise, or salience may modulate the activation of negative (depression-related) information in depressive individuals. Finally, this review evaluates the literature within the theoretical framework of false memory formation, addresses methodological limitations, and provides recommendations for future research.