Crisis or creation? A systematic examination of “false memory syndrome”

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Examines the assumptions underlying "False Memory Syndrome," as well as the epidemiologial evidence, to determine whether there is sufficient empirical evidence to support it as a valid diagnostic construct. Demonstrates that the existence of such a syndrome lacks general acceptance in the mental health field, and that the construct is based on a series of faulty assumptions, many of which have been scientifically disproven. Concludes that in the absence of any substantive scientific support, “False Memory Syndrome” is best characterized as a pseudoscientific syndrome that was developed to defend against claims of child abuse.