A healthy imagination? Editorial for the special issue of Memory: Mental imagery and memory in psychopathology

摘要

Intrusive mental images in the form of flashbacks have long been recognised as a hallmark of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, clinicians have become increasingly aware that distressing imagery is a more pervasive phenomenon. There appears to be a powerful link between imagery and autobiographical memory (Conway, Meares, & Standart, 2004 this issue). The field of autobiographical memory needs to account for disorders of remembering in psychopathology, including the reliving of past experiences in the form of imagery. While the role of mental imagery in psychopathology has been an under-researched topic, recently there has been a surge of interest. This special issue of Memory on mental imagery and memory in psychopathology presents a novel series of papers investigating emotional, intrusive mental imagery across a wide range of psychological disorders. We include post-traumatic stress disorder, other anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia and social phobia, as well as psychosis, bipolar disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and depression. The roles of imagery in symptom maintenance and in psychological treatment are explored.