Do you know someone who, no matter the subject, always seems to say things that don’t ring true? Do they lie to gain something for themselves but also for no identifiable reason? If so, you may be dealing with a compulsive liar. When someone engages in pathological lying, they confuse and ultimately alienate those around them. Their actions often cause people to stop wanting to be around them
Renewal Oasis understands that when someone has become a habitual liar, there is a psychological reason for their behavior. Our high-quality programs for mental health disorders include addressing compulsive lying by getting to the root of the need to tell tall tales. With the assistance of our skilled staff, the individual can learn to resolve issues that influence their need to lie. From there, they learn to live in the truth and establish healthy relationships.
What is Pathological Lying?
Everyone tells a lie from time to time. It may be out of convenience, to save someone else from embarrassment, or for non-altruistic reasons. However, that is different from compulsive lying. A pathological liar lies frequently and often for no real reason. Not telling the truth becomes a knee-jerk reaction, and the lies pile up over time. Many of their lies are told to achieve something for themselves, such as being seen in a more flattering light. The person may lie about their job, income, the car they drive, and other personal things.
On the other hand, they may lie without any real provocation. At times, they may lie about something that ultimately causes trouble for them. For them, compulsive lying is their default setting. In fact, someone who becomes a habitual liar often becomes tripped up by their own stories and believes what they are saying. Pathological lying usually becomes a pattern during a person’s teenage years.
Is Pathological Lying a Disorder or Syndrome?
Pathological lying is not a diagnosable mental health disorder, nor is it a syndrome. However, it is a symptom of many mental illnesses, such as borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and antisocial personality disorder.
Difference Between Compulsively Lying and Other Types of Lies
A white lie is something a person says out of kindness, such as telling someone they look good in a new outfit, even though that’s not how they really feel. Lies can include exaggerating the truth, omitting an important piece of information, and lying to gain something for either the liar or someone else. However, these lies are told anywhere from occasionally to often, but not enough to be classified as pathological lying.
Someone who engages in compulsive lying does so consistently to the point that speaking untruths is their first impulse. They lie about any subject, whether they believe it helps them or it ends up hindering them. The individual typically requires professional treatment to uncover the reasons that lying has become a way of life for them.
Signs that Someone is a Pathological Liar
Common signs that someone is a pathological liar include:
- Consistently lies
- Has trouble juggling all of their lies
- Lies often have extensive details
- Lies even when there is nothing to be gained from it
- Doesn’t care about lies being uncovered
- Becomes defensive when their lies are challenged
- Takes someone else’s truth and passes it off as their own
- Relationships become alienated due to the lies
- Denies the person is lying even when it’s easily provable they are doing just that
What Causes Someone to Become a Pathological Liar?
Compulsive lying does not have one identifiable cause but can come about for different reasons. It may be a symptom of a mental health disorder like
borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, bipolar disorder, or antisocial personality disorder. Pathological lying may also be a result of someone who has low self-esteem or an inflated sense of self-importance. What may begin as insecurity and a need to elevate their status in the eyes of others can turn into a condition that warrants psychological treatment.
Problems that Habitual Lying Causes
Habitual lying causes a host of problems in the lives of those who lie and can also impact those around them. The act of repetitively lying can cause a breakdown in romantic relationships and friendships, as well as cause difficulties in the workplace. A person caught lying over and over may find it fuels a breakup or divorce, a fractured friendship, or disciplinary action on the job.
Is There Treatment for Pathological Lying?
While there isn’t a treatment specifically designed to treat a compulsive liar, there is help available. Because compulsive lying can be a symptom of a mental illness, seeking treatment for that disorder will help address and alleviate the symptoms. The types of therapy that can help reduce the symptoms of pathological lying include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Assists in targeting and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors like lying.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: This helps a person address past traumatic experiences that may have influenced why they began lying.
- Mindfulness-Based Therapy: Teaches a person to develop their self-awareness and control their negative impulses.
Contact Renewal Oasis About Treating Compulsive Lying Today
Do you know someone who is a compulsive liar or do you find yourself unable to stop pathologically lying? Living this kind of life isolates people and makes it difficult for anyone to develop trust with them. If you want to learn to stop juggling falsehoods and begin to speak truthfully, Renewal Oasis can help. Our outpatient and residential programs offer access to a host of helpful therapy modalities that helps you get a realistic view of yourself. Our staff of licensed clinicians works with you to identify core issues that contribute to the habit of lying. From there, you can resolve them and shed your need for relying on lying.
Contact us today and let’s talk about how we can help you leave habitual lying in your past. Our admissions staff can talk to you about how our programs work and provide a free insurance check.
