False Memories

While learning about false memories, it reminded me about something that one of my friends told me about in June. She was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and she talked about how there are certain  memories that she cannot remember if they are true or not. To her, they seem so real, but she understands that some of it is false. This got me thinking about how mental illnesses affect your memory. I read an article (https://www.verywellhealth.com/false-memories-5225965#:~:text=Most%20people%20have%20some%20memory,can%20be%20false%20or%20true.) that says it is likely for false memories to occur if there is a mental illness present such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD. It is interesting to read about this as someone who has major depressive disorder. I remember talking to a friend, and I explained to her that I was able to recall more negative memories rather than positive ones. We joked about it at the time, however, I read in this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5665161/#:~:text=Our%20review%20suggests%20that%20individuals,related%20to%20their%20knowledge%20base.&text=Memory%20aberrations%20are%20notable%20characteristics,disorder%20(PTSD)%20and%20depression.) that it is common for individuals with depression to recall negative related memories. However, having depression can still increase the chances of having false memories. I never knew this, and I wonder how deeply it has affected people who are in therapy. Since the therapist or counselor cannot confirm if the memory is true or not, it is likely that false memories are more common in sessions. It makes me question if I have presented any false memories when I started therapy in high school. I am with a different therapist now, but it is a question I ask myself now. 

Learning about false memories has put some things in perspective and put me in the reality that our brains really cannot accurately recall a memory 100% especially since emotions can distort your memory. If you are going through a break up with your partner, you're are most likely to see certain memories differently now because your perspective is different. I know that my memories have changed about my last relationship, and I cannot remember the positive memories from it. I wonder how the accuracy of our memory has affected certain events in our lives or even history.