Compulsive Lying: Understanding Pathological Liars & Mythomania

Lying is a fairly common act in which a person makes a statement that differs from the truth. However, some people seem to be unable to stop themselves from lying, which is sometimes called compulsive lying. These condition is different than a similar symptom, confabulation, in which the patient will agree with any statement made to him regardless of its veracity.

Identification

• The scientific name for a compulsive liar is a pathological liar. It can also be called mythomania or pseudologia fantastica.

Psychiatric Classification

• Pathological lying is not currently listed as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the authoritative book on mental disorders used by health professionals.

Controversy

• Some researchers, including Dr. Dike at the Yale University School of Medicine, believe that it should be listed as a mental disorder, because pathological liars may not be conscious of the fact that they are lying.

Treatments

• Currently there are no widely accepted treatments for pathological lying.

First Mention

• Pathological lying was first mentioned in medical writings in 1891.