False Memory Syndrome (FMS) was a proposed "pattern of beliefs and behaviors" where an individual's identity and relationships centered on strongly believed, yet contested, false memories of psychological trauma. Conceptualized by the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, FMS aimed to describe behaviors arising from "recovered memory therapy," a scientifically discredited therapeutic approach linked to creating such memories. While the ability to form false memories through suggestion is widely accepted, notably championed by psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, the specific claim that this leads to detailed recollections of severe, repeated abuse and profound personality changes remains highly controversial. FMS is not recognized as a psychiatric illness in any major medical manuals, including the DSM-5 or ICD-11. The proposed "syndrome" described a pattern including pseudomemories, identity centered on these memories, and estrangement from family, without ever being intended as a diagnostic term itself.