Obsessive-compulsive disorder causes memory impairment in people who have the condition.

Is it true that obsessive-compulsive disorder causes memory impairment in people who have the condition?

Unclear. Several small peer-reviewed studies report reduced memory performance in people with OCD compared with healthy controls, including one finding significant decline in the memory domain. These are limited samples and do not establish a general causal claim that OCD causes memory impairment.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 4 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Does “thinking about thinking” interfere with memory? An experimental memory study in obsessive–compulsive disorder. (2014). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.07.009

A Rare Case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder with Symptoms of Unexplained Somatic and Memory Problem. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.14442/general.16.33

Associations of neurofunctional, morphometric and metabolic abnormalities with clinical symptom severity and recognition deficit in obsessive–compulsive disorder. (2018). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.059

Assessment of various cognitive domains in patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder. (2023). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20230858