Is pathological lying a mental disorder?

[Nailhead]

Is pathological lying a mental disorder?

The reason I ask, is because I have known a few people that for no reason at all, lie about just about everything they can. I simply do not understand this type of behavior, to someone that doesn't really know a pathological liar they might just think they are an asshole that wants attention, however I wonder if it is an actual disorder with the way their brain thinks.

My dad, and a couple friends are this way. It doesn't matter what they are talking about, they frequently will start talking about something is either obviously false, or I know for a fact is untrue. Most of the time these lies do not benefit them, so I don't understand how they can consciously lie to people they care about, and because they get so enveloped in their lies, I wonder if they even realize what they are saying isn't true?

Does anybody understand pathological liars? The people I know that lie don't seem to have any motive, but my dad's new wife even seems to get in on his lies! (I know my dad well enough to know when his stories go from true to completely BS, and his wife seems to jump right in and add to the crap).

One of the lies I was told that really made me wonder about people that do this, is when a friend of mine who has a band told me in all honesty in private about his band being signed up by Sony. He went into great detail about how they were sending each of the band members a large check and would be promoting them and distributing their CDs. Now, this makes me wonder if these people have a mental problem because if he knew he was telling a lie he would know that I would eventually find out the truth and he would look like a complete idiot. Of course, as time went on, nothing happened, and he never mentioned this ever again.

I can understand why someone would lie for attention, or to get a head, but in this case, as in many others, the attention was there even without the lie, and there was absolutely no benefit, in fact, the lie caused distrust and now I don't believe a damn thing that person says, and I also don't have very much respect as well.

Anybody understand this? Is this some mental disorder? Do they even know they are lying?

Nailhead Reviewed by Nailhead on 11-06-2007. Is pathological lying a mental disorder? Is pathological lying a mental disorder? The reason I ask, is because I have known a few people that for no reason at all, lie about just about everything they can. I simply do not understand this type of behavior, to someone that doesn't really know a pathological liar they might just think they are an asshole that wants attention, however I wonder if it is an actual disorder with the way their brain thinks. My dad, and a couple friends are this way. It doesn't matter what they are Rating: 5

[Mrs. Greenjeans]

I've known people like that. I think they rehearse the lie so many times in their own head that by the time it comes out of their mouths, even they believe it. It's like they operate on the premise that "I wish this was true. Therefore it is."

[cm8883]

Used to work in a psychologist's office. I can remember a few cases of this (there's actually a medical word for the condition, just can't remember it right now). The docs said that most of these people actually believe what they're saying, from either saying it so often, their brain is conditioned to believe it, or the condition they suffer from makes the brain think that WHATEVER they say is true.

Did that make sense? lol

[Hilder420]

i think so man, my mom is a pathological liar, and theres definately something wrong with her head. no shit.

[sd6515]

Pathological lying is a mental disorder but there is a difference between pathological lying and weak character and people who lie because it is easier it can be hard to tell the difference without the proper training and a good understanding of there patterns and history.

[Innominate]

It might as well be a mental disorder. You can view people that lie in any way you'd like, but ultimately people that lie consistently have some sort of issue with what is fact or what is fantasy and that can be a problem for others they interact with. In short they are basically close-minded.

I don't enjoy lying. I lie under certain circumstances, for example, white lies. Sometimes it must be done. I am a very truthful/fair person and hate being lied to.

[sd6515]

well I was talking about pathological lying as would be diagnosed with the help of the DSM IV that is used in clinical psychology.

[birdgirl73]

From what I've read, it's definitely a mental disorder--or, more accurately, a symptom of a mental disorder, since it doesn't have its own official diagnosis quite yet. It may eventually. Right now, from what I was just looking up in the DSMIV, it's nearly always a component of antisocial personality disorder, which used to be called sociopathy. It can also seem to be a component of dissociative identity disorder, where a person has little periods of dissociation and doesn't remember saying or doing things and then appears to be lying afterwards. That same sort of thing happens in some of the more severe bipolar disorders, too. Addicts and eating-disorder patients struggle with lying, too, but usually not quite as extremely as sociopaths.

I think I've read the clinical term "psuedologia fantastica," if I'm not mistaken, but I think "mythomania" is another way of saying it.

I had a cousin who had a bad, bad case of the problem, among other serious mental health and addiction issues. He'd lie to you soon as look at you. He came to no good ends.

[GraziLovesMary]

Pathological lying is an obsession. The offender is either consciously or sub-consciously unhappy about one or more aspects of his or her life and creates a pseudo-fantasy world that corroborates and inter-relates with his real life. He sees this part of his life, or this physical trait or characteristic, or this memory, and decides it would be much more appealing if it sounded like... and as quick as that the story has been changed.

I dont lie. Not because its wrong, but because its innefficient and illogical. When you lie to somebody that you will speak to again, you are required to either expend brain power and resources to remember that lie, and its fictitious place in a non-fictitious world, or you can forget it and risk being called out. That is how the cycle starts. When a lie begins to fall apart, you can either come clean about it, or attempt to spin more lies to cover your tracks up. That is how the pathological liar gets started.

It becomes a brain-filter of sorts, and after a long time of lying, the subconscious imagination adds to the information that your sensory inputs have sent to your brain, and you no longer realize you are lying.

The obsession gets so strong it becomes a mental disorder in the same way that alcoholism and other addictions are mental disorders.

So, to answer your question indefinitely, yes.

[sd6515]

My father in law lies so bad that he actually lied about a hemroid, I was having one removed there are 4 degrees of hemroids and I had 4th degree but being the liar he is he comes out and say you think you have it bad I have 6th degree hemroids, I just started laughing he asked me if i thought that was funny and after I explained he tried to go into all this detail of why he has a special condition blah blah blah. He does this shit all the time but I don't consider him pathological, just a loser redneck liar.