How to spot a pathological liar
Dr Tracey Marks, a psychiatrist with more than 20 years of experience in mental health, shares tips to help you to identify a pathological liar.
Pathological lying is a behavioural disturbance when a person compulsively and habitually lies without a clear motive for doing so.
However, according to Dr Tracey Marks, there is no official definition of pathological lying because it’s not considered a mental disorder.
The professional says pathological liars have difficulty differentiating between a lie and the truth, and can make up more lies to make their stories believable when they are asked about the details.
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According to the psychiatrist, pathological liars also tend to believe that they are just talking or telling a story without really thinking about the harmful consequences of their behaviour.
Healthline highlights the following signs of pathological liars:
- they often talk about experiences and accomplishments in which they appear heroic
- they’re also the victim in many of their stories, often looking for sympathy
- their stories tend to be elaborate and very detailed
- they respond elaborately and quickly to questions, but the responses are usually vague and don’t provide an answer to the question
- they may have different versions of the same story, which stems from forgetting previous details.
Because pathological lying is not a medical condition, Dr Tracey says there is no medical treatment, but therapy might help.
Dealing with a pathological liar can be frustrating, however, Healthline says it is important to be supportive and suggest medical help to them.
READ: Don't be a victim again: spot a liar from a mile away with these simple signs
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