Pathological lying is a specific type of lying where the person lies repeatedly and has little or no concern for how these lies affect others. In medical literature, pathological lying is referred to as pseudologia fantastica. Both men and women can be pathological liars, though often this condition goes undiagnosed. People who live and interact with pathological liars can find the constant lying hard to tolerate.
Diagnosing
Diagnosing a pathological liar is difficult. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), does not list pathological lying as a mental disorder. Without an official way to diagnose, many pathological liars do not get proper treatment. However, pathological lying is used as a diagnostic for Munchausen syndrome (a psychiatric disorder where the patient makes up medical conditions to get attention), the closest psychiatric disorder diagnosis pathological liars can receive.
Lying
According to a study published in "Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica", pathological lying differs from other types of lying in four ways. First, people who pathological lie tell stories that are not completely improbable and have some basis of truth. These lies can be a continuation of the truth for the liars. Second, pathological liars continue to tell the same story. In contrast, people who confabulate, which is another type of lying, change their story every time. Third, the lies being told are not done to in promotion of the liar. Instead, the lie can be negative towards the liar. Finally, pathological liars can acknowledge that their lies contain falsehoods and do not live in a delusion, as some liars do.
Dysfunction
In a study done by the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, data from 72 pathological liars was compared. While the cause of pathological lying is not known, the researchers found that 40 percent of the liars had central nervous system dysfunction. Central nervous dysfunction can impact many of the body's functions, but it is not known exactly how dysfunction results in pathological lying. However, this discovery leads to new forms of treatment.
