Confabulation
Type: Symptom
Definition
The unconscious fabrication of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories without the conscious intention to deceive.
Clinical Details
During the chronic Korsakoff phase, severe amnesia prevents the patient from forming new memories or recalling recent events. To fill these massive gaps in memory, the damaged brain spontaneously invents entirely false narratives. The patient genuinely believes these fabricated stories to be true.