At times, we can all tell a small white lie, but compulsive lying is a completely different animal.

People who have this habit tell lies about the most random things. If you ask them what they did over the weekend, they might say, “I went fishing with some friends“. In fact, they sat at home and watched television. These people just cannot control their lies.

A person who has a habit of compulsive lying will give wrong answers to any question. The worst thing is that they do it for no good reason. They have no ulterior motives; people like this also have no special purpose to be realized by their falseness.

It’s very difficult to listen to a person who speaks to you and find out if he or she is a compulsive liar or not. This is simply because the lies which the compulsive liars tell are credible and absolutely probable.

Is it possible to identify a compulsive or a pathological liar? According to a study conducted by B.H. King and C.V. Ford of the Department of Psychiatry, the Hospital of UCLA, compulsive lying has a few indicators.

3 Signs of Compulsive Lying

1. The Stories Do Not Match

The most obvious sign of a compulsive liar is that their stories never match. They are always confused about their made up facts. A person who is prone to compulsive lying will often add detail to their lies, so the new lie is different from the one they started.

An intentional liar has a hidden aim and will, therefore, they will pay particular attention to remembering the very lies they have actually told earlier. A compulsive liar, however, is going to tell self-defeating lies.

2. No Limits

Compulsive liars are incessant. They will lie at every opportunity, even if it is absolutely unnecessary. Most of the times, their lies are harmless. But is it hard to believe a compulsive liar if they can tell the truth?

The main reason for this tendency to lie about all sorts of things is the fact that compulsive liars often do not realize they are lying. Sometimes they just cannot stop, even though they know they are lying.

3. Guilty As Accused

Compulsive liars often admit that they lie when they are confronted with enough facts. This is different from a deliberate liar who can still try to actually defend themselves. It truly proves that this kind of liar is quite fearless, with no regard for the consequences of their actions.

This often leads to the person confronting a stunned obsessive comptroller, since the confrontation also shows the absence of an ulterior motive. You cannot understand why the compulsive liar lied at all! The sad part is that even the compulsive liar has no answer to this question.

What Are the Causes of Compulsive Lying?

Certain central nervous system problems, such as epilepsy, infection and other issues, have been associated with the causes of this disorder. There is no precise pattern regarding gender – men and women are equally affected.

In fact, compulsive lying is a very miserable state because as soon as the liar has been truly exposed, almost everyone who knows you excludes you. However, if you ever see a compulsive liar in someone you know and care for, don’t be angry. Try and help them out of this instead.

How Can You Stop This Habit?

To admit that you have a problem is the first courageous step towards overcoming your compulsive lying problem. Asking for help is the second.

Psychotherapy, counseling or hypnosis therapy could help you to identify and address the causes of your lying addiction, and to stop lying in a short time.

As you begin to overcome the causes and habits of compulsive lies, you may notice an improvement in your relationships and a significant increase in your self-confidence. The truth is that people who are prone to this type of lying have very low self-esteem.

Equally important is good psychotherapy. Besides finding the ways for you to stop lying, a psychotherapist will also help you discover the cause of your compulsive lying issue so you can lead a more fulfilling and authentic life.

On your first visit, you can discuss your problem confidentially, ask questions, and decide if your psychotherapist is right for you. This first session will give the psychotherapist a good idea of the problems and help them understand what you want to achieve.

After the first session, they will tailor a treatment plan to your individual needs. It’s possible that the psychotherapist can control your patterns through hypnotherapy by altering your very habitual thoughts and reactions. In general, however, long-term treatment is not only recommended but also required.

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is an extremely intense, perceptive treatment that requires honest commitment from you to address the issues, but it is very effective in solving the causes of compulsive lying.

Conclusion

People who repeatedly lie are not very easy to deal with, but they should not be labeled as evil or manipulative. Their lies can become compulsive for lots of reasons, often which are deeply rooted in problematic childhoods.

Compulsive lying issues can affect the lives of persons who tell the lies as well as those around them, thus the tips above are a way to deal with it effectively.

References:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. https://www.psychologytoday.com

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This Post Has One Comment

  1. matthew

    thank you im 10 and you realy helped me

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