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Compulsive lying describes a condition in which a person tells falsehoods out of habit, sometimes for no reason at all.  It is also known as pathological lying, mythomania, and habitual lying.

A German physician named Dr. Delbruck first described the condition in 1891. Five of his patients had a habit of telling excessively large lies. He named their behavior pseudologia phantastica (spelled pseudologia fantastica in American English language).

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Symptoms of Pseudologia Fantastica

Many people are dishonest on occasion. Yet pathological liars tend to prevarication more frequently regardless of context.

Habitual lying often has the post-obit traits:

• The lies are believable and may have truthful elements. A person who has the flu might tell co-workers the symptoms are in fact AIDS or some other serious illness.
• The lying continues for a long period of time and is not caused past some firsthand force per unit area . A person who lies repeatedly about an matter would typically non authorize as a habitual liar, since the lies consequence from the want to keep a underground.
• The lies tend to present the person lying in a positive low-cal. A person is more likely to lie about having a Ph.D than claim they dropped out of high school.
• The lies accept an internal—rather than external—motivation. A child with abusive parents might lie compulsively to avert harm.  These falsehoods would not be considered compulsive considering the lying is motivated by an outside threat.

Before determining that someone is lying compulsively, clinicians will generally rule out other possible causes. Someone who has delusions or false memory syndrome is unlikely to qualify as a habitual liar. In general, a pathological liar must recognize they are saying something untrue.

Compulsive Lying vs. Pathological Lying

The terms "compulsive lying" and "pathological lying" are frequently used interchangeably. Medical literature currently does not differentiate between these terms. Yet there are professionals within the mental health customs who classify the terms as subtly dissimilar weather condition.

In this framework, compulsive lying is the addiction of telling falsehoods uncontrollably. People in this category may be more comfortable telling lies than telling the truth. They may lie repeatedly virtually important as well equally unimportant matters.

People who lie compulsively often take no ulterior motive. They may fifty-fifty tell lies which damage their own reputations. Even afterward their falsehoods have been exposed, people who lie compulsively may have difficulty albeit the truth.

Meanwhile, pathological lying often involves a clear motive. A person may lie to gain attention or admiration. Other lies may be designed to garner pity or help from others. Even cocky-harming lies may provide some course of internal gratification.

People who lie pathologically may mix falsehoods with the truth to make their lies more credible. As such, pathological lying is oft considered a subtler course of manipulation than compulsive lying.

What Causes Compulsive Lying?

Psychologists disagree whether compulsive lying tin stand lonely as its own diagnosis. Currently, the Diagnostic and Statistical Transmission (DSM) does non recognize it as a separate mental health status. However compulsive lying does appear every bit a symptom of several larger weather condition.

Compulsive lying may be a symptom of:

• Bipolar
• Attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD)
• Impulse command problems
• Substance dependency
• Borderline personality
• Narcissistic personality

Compulsive lying rarely indicates psychosis. People who lie compulsively can often identify their accounts as lies. Thus, they are not distanced from reality.

Some psychologists believe a person's environment plays a big part in compulsive lying. A person may live in a context where deception creates advantages. If a community does not assign business firm or consistent consequences for lying, a person may believe the benefits of lying outweigh the risks. Lies might also be a coping mechanism for depression self-esteem or past trauma.

Despite these short-term benefits, compulsive lying often backfires in the long run. A habitual liar may feel farthermost stress from keeping track of their falsehoods. They may struggle to live up to their own claims. If their lies are exposed, their relationships will probable grow strained. In some cases, they may confront legal consequences.

Treatment for Compulsive Lying

People who lie compulsively are encouraged to seek the assist of a qualified therapist. A therapist tin can help habitual liars understand their status and the way it affects other people. They may too reveal underlying diagnoses such every bit bipolar or ADHD. In these cases, a therapist volition likely treat all a person's issues in tandem.

When a person lies to their therapist, treatment tin can exist difficult. Treatment tends to piece of work all-time when the person in therapy acknowledges their condition. If the person is forced into therapy, they are unlikely to cooperate. Ideally, the person in therapy will believe assistance is necessary and make a sincere effort to change.

When a person lies to their therapist, treatment can be difficult. Even if the therapist catches a lie, the person may refuse to admit their dishonesty. This resistance serves as another differentiation betwixt compulsive and pathological lying. In treating pathological lying, some therapists accept found it benign to accost the lying as an addiction.

Either grouping or individual sessions can be beneficial in treatment. When a person'due south lying has interfered with personal or romantic relationships, couples counseling can too be helpful. Behavior modification strategies such as role playing may be used to promote change and gauge progress.

Compulsive lying can be a challenging condition. Only with time and attempt, it can be treated. If you lot would like help to stop lying, you tin can find a therapist hither.

References:

1. American Psychological Association.APA concise dictionary of psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2009. Print.
2. Birch, C. D., Kelln, B. R. C. & Aquino, E. P. B. (2006). A review and case written report of pseudologia fantastica.The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 17(2), 299-320.
3. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-v. (5th ed.). (2013). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.
4. Dike, C. C. (2008, June 1).Pathological lying: symptom or affliction. Retrieved from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/pathological-lying-symptom-or-affliction

Last Updated: 05-8-2018

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