Everyone has lied at least once in their life. But if lying has become a frequent habit and they continue to lie for no reason, this could be a sign of someone being a pathological liar. How to recognize the signs, and is this condition treatable? Check out the following review.

What is a Pathological Liar?

Lying is a common behavior in humans. When someone lies, there is often a clear reason why they do so. A person can lie and use it as a tool to achieve a certain goal. In addition, a person may also tell a lie to avoid an embarrassing situation.

Pathological liars generally do not think about why they are telling lies. They don't care about the possible consequences of their lies. A pathological liar will continue to lie even if others already know the lie.

The lies created are sometimes extravagant, exaggerated, and change over time. Pathological liars are accomplished liars because they constantly lie and make up stories. It is often very difficult to distinguish between true and false statements. Because they lie so often, it can have an impact on their lives. Their relationships with others can be damaged, and they can also lose their jobs because of their lies.

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Causes of Pathological Liar

The cause of someone becoming a pathological liar is not known for sure. Experts do not yet know whether lying is a symptom of another medical condition or a mental disorder. However, this habit of lying is often associated with several mental problems, such as:

• Munchausen syndrome, where a person acts as if they are physically or mentally ill when they are not.
• Personality disorders, pathological lying is considered a possible symptom of certain personality disorders, such as:
  
  • Borderline personality disorder (BPD), characterized by experiencing severe mood swings, feeling unsure or insecure when looking at oneself, and extreme emotional swings.
  • Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), a mental disorder in which the sufferer feels the need to be admired and flattered.
  • Antisocial personality disorder (APD), which is a disorder in which a person does not care about being kind and right and ignores the feelings of others,

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Signs of Pathological Liar

Pathological lying is often compulsive and may start small. Lies can gradually become more elaborate and dramatic, especially if they are needed to cover up pre-existing lies. Pathological liars will create new, more elaborate lies because they add too many details to the story that are unnecessary.

Some other signs of pathological liars include:

• Telling lies without any specific motive or reason
• Excessive lying, even about insignificant things
• A tendency to say things that contradict what they previously said
• Not caring about the impact of the lies that have been created and how they affect others 
• May become defensive or angry if confronted despite evidence

Pathological Liar Treatment

There is no specific medication to treat pathological liars. Treatment options include psychotherapy, repeated counseling, or antipsychotic medication if necessary. However, since pathological liars may lie to their therapists instead of addressing their lying behavior, it can be challenging in the therapy process.

Treatment will depend on what they need and how they respond during therapy sessions. It takes an experienced therapist to deal with cases of patients with pathological lying.

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