Does paranoia make people "remember" things that didn't really happen?

[Ken Cheng]

I've got to ask: does extreme paranoia cause people to clearly "remember" things that didn't actually happen?

The paranoid person isn't lying. He does honestly feel that he REMEMBERS a certain thing happening, except the physical evidence shows that it didn't. Does this happen when people grow paranoid?

[ByTmE]

Hmm

This question is difficult because it already assumes that the paranoid individual is recalling false memories or truly fictitious delusions. Before, I used to doubt questionable individual's claims of recalling things or asserting certain "facts" due to the fact that I thought they were suffering from extreme paranoia. In addition, the physical facts didn't seem to exist or were not relative enough to justify their claims.

I know better now since I have been at both ends.

Sometimes, when one is extremely paranoid, they will look at the facts and interpret it in a completely off the wall way. The facts will be used to support whatever it is they are paranoid about. Others, bystanders that is, would not normally jump to that specific conclusion, so they will have trouble agreeing with the person believed to be paranoid. People who are exceedingly paranoid will also notice things that no one else will, something seemingly useless or arbitrary will mount to corroborating evidence towards their belief.

And sometimes they might be right. Sadly, most people would not be inclined to believe them. However, when they are wrong, it's time to seek a second professional opinion.

[Han Solo]

This is called schizophrenia.

[Banh Mi]

Yes, there is comorbidity between paranoia personality disorder and delusion disorder.

[sniffles]

Human memory is extremely fallible. People who don't have any kind of serious psychological disorder can still remember things inaccurately. I've discovered several events from my childhood that I now realize were just dreams, but for years I thought they were actual memories. And I'm still living with the aftermath of going through chemotherapy 6 years ago; there's a whole chunk of my life prior to that period that is very hazy for me. I think it's perfectly possible for someone to "remember" things that never happened.