A therapist can make a treatment plan to control pathological lying. If you or someone you know has symptoms of pathological lying, it’s important to get help. Finding a qualified, experienced therapist who can work with someone over the long term is the key to managing the condition.‌ Treatment will depend on what the person needs and what they respond to during therapy sessions. They may start telling lies to the therapist instead of addressing the problem directly. But even therapy can pose challenges, because pathological liars aren’t in control of their lying. Treating pathological lying is complicated. Pathological lying is a condition, not a symptom of something else. A pathological liar might have other mental conditions such as depression or anxiety. Their dishonesty might be the thing people remember most about them. It begins when a person is young and continues indefinitely and in all areas of life. They tell stories that don’t benefit them and might actually hurt them when the truth comes out.

Pathological liars don’t have a clear motive.

Most people will tell small lies to avoid unpleasant consequences, like saying you were late because of traffic instead of admitting that you overslept. The lies that pathological liars tell differ from lies most people tell because there isn’t a reason for them. They might falsely claim to have received an award or say that still-living family members died. The lies they tell can also be outlandish and easily disproved. They then have to add more lies to back up the original lies. They may make up stories that sound real enough that other people believe them. Pathological liars lie more than most people. It’s a lifelong behavior, and they can’t control the urge to lie.Įxperts look for four main behaviors when trying to figure out if someone is a pathological liar:Įxcessive lying. They also make up elaborate stories about themselves. They usually don’t plan to tell the lies. Researchers have found that pathological liars tell lies without good reason and without worrying about the consequences.

It’s even different from patterns of dishonesty you might see in someone who’s trying to hide bad habits like infidelity or substance abuse. Pathological lying is different from the occasional lies most people tell. Their lying might become a problem that affects their relationships, career, and family. Pathological lying usually starts when a person is in their teens. Other pathological liars will admit that they have been lying only when their lies are proved false. Some people fully believe in the things they say, even when they are clearly false. It isn’t clear whether pathological liars understand that what they say isn’t true. They may lose jobs and ruin relationships because of their lying.‌ They often can’t control the impulse to make up stories, even when this causes them harm. Pathological liars often lie without any reason. Lying is a tool that people use to achieve a goal. When someone tells a lie, there is often a clear reason for them to do so. But it is a real and troubling condition.‌ It’s also called “pseudologia fantastica” or “mythomania.” It isn’t listed as an official diagnosis in the psychiatric guidebook called the DSM-V. ‌Psychiatrists have recognized pathological lying as a type of behavior for hundreds of years. Pathological liars harm themselves with their behavior, but they keep doing it despite the consequences‌.

To be labeled as a pathological liar, a person must lie frequently and for no good reason. People sometimes call someone who lies a lot a “pathological liar.” Frequent dishonesty isn’t a good habit, but it doesn’t fit the official definition of pathological lying.

Pathological fear define