A nurse in the mental health clinic concludes that a client is using confabulation when: 1. The flow of thoughts is interrupted 2. Imagination is used to fill in memory gaps 3. Speech flits from one topic to another with no apparent meaning 4. Connections between statements are so loose that only the speaker understands them
Imagination is used to fill in memory gaps **Using imagination to fill in memory gaps is the definition of confabulation; it is a defense mechanism used by people experiencing memory deficits.