Déjà vu experiences in anxiety

Abstract

Déjà vu experiences in anxiety Déjà vu occurs when a novel event is experienced with an erroneous sense of familiarity. Memory researchers theorise that this arises due to an error in the processes underlying the recognition memory system. Research has indicated that there may be a link between high levels of anxiety and increased frequency and intensity of déjà vu, however there has been comparatively little characterisation of déjà vu as experienced by individuals with clinical anxiety. We used an online questionnaire to collect data from individuals self-reporting a clinical diagnosis of anxiety, as well as from age-matched controls. The Anxiety Group reported a significantly higher frequency of déjà vu episodes over the previous month than controls. They also reported experiencing déjà vu more frequently and with higher intensity during periods of high anxiety. In addition, the Anxiety Group reported finding déjà vu episodes significantly more distressing than the control group. The findings indicate that there are differences in déjà vu experienced by people reporting high levels of anxiety compared to healthy controls without an anxiety diagnosis. We discuss structural and neural mechanisms thought to underpin déjà vu in relation to these results.

Converging on an Understanding of the Déjà vu Experience

“…higher state anxiety related to greater overreporting) are the three further factors which affect the accuracy of retrospective symptom reports (Bogaerts et al, 2015;Broderick et al, 2008;Gedney, Logan, & Baron, 2003;Howren & Suls, 2011;Petersen, Van Staeyen, Vögele, von Leupoldt, & Van den Bergh, 2015;Van den Bergh & Walentynowicz, 2016). People with clinical anxiety are a cohort known to report experiencing déjà vu more frequently and more intensely during periods of high anxiety (Harper & Roth, 1962;Wells et al, 2014;Wells, O'Connor, & Moulin, 2018). When we ask participants about covariates of their experience (e.g.…”

Déjà vu and other dissociative states in memory

“…Adachi et al, 2006). Wells and colleagues (Wells, O'Connor & Moulin, 2021) take the same approach but for the first time consider people with anxiety. Their contribution is motivated by the need to better understand the contribution of anxiety to feelings of déjà vu.…”

“…He described his experiences of déjà vu as extremely distressing. No clear organic cause of the déjà vu was found and Wells et al (2021) determined that the persistent déjà vu might be psychogenic in nature.…”

“…In the current volume, Wells et al (2021) administered an online questionnaire to a large sample of people with clinical levels of anxiety and controls to test the hypothesis that anxiety provokes déjà vu experiences. They found that their Anxiety Group reported a significantly higher frequency of déjà vu episodes over the previous month than controls, experiencing approximately 3 episodes per month, although the groups reported non-significant differences over the past year.…”

Non-ictal, interictal and ictal déjà vu: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Historically viewed through a mystical lens (5,6), scientific efforts have sought to demystify déjà vu and empirically study it using various methods, including surveys, interviews, neuroimaging techniques, and performance-based neurocognitive assessments. This body of research indicates that déjà vu occurs in both non-clinical (7,8) and clinical populations (9)(10)(11)(12), particularly among epilepsy patients (13,14).…”