RECOVERED MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE - IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL-PRACTICE

Background The growth in the USA of 'recovered memory therapy' for pas t. sexual abuse has caused great public and professional concern. It b ecame apparent that the polarisation of views and fierce controversy w ithin the American psychiatric community was in danger of bringing psy chotherapy into disrepute and it seemed important to examine objective ly the scientific evidence before such polarisation developed in the U K. Method A small working group reviewed their own experience, visited meetings and centres with expertise in this field, interviewed 'retra ctors' and accused parents, and then began a comprehensive review of t he literature. Results There is a vast literature but little acceptabl e research. Opinions are expressed with great conviction but often uns upported by evidence. Conclusions The issue of false or recovered memo ries should not be allowed to confuse the recognition and treatment of sexually abused children. We concluded that when memories are 'recove red' after long periods of amnesia, particularly when extraordinary me ans were used to secure the recovery of memory, there is a high probab ility that the memories are false, i.e. of incidents that had not occu rred. Some guidelines which should enable practitioners to avoid the p itfalls of memory recovery are offered.