{{Short description|Mental disorder}} {{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc}} {{Redirect-distinguish|Pseudologia fantastica|Pseudologia Fantastica (song)}} {{Redirect-distinguish|Mythomaniac|Mythomaniac (TV series){{!}}''Mythomaniac'' (TV series)}} {{Infobox medical condition (new) |name = Pathological lying |synonyms = Pseudologia fantastica, mythomania, compulsive lying |field = Psychiatry }} '''Pathological lying''', also known as '''''pseudologia fantastica''''' (Latin for "fantastic pseudology"), is a chronic behavior characterized by the habitual or compulsive tendency to lie. It involves a pervasive pattern of intentionally making false statements with the aim to deceive others, sometimes for no clear or apparent reason, and even if the truth would be beneficial to the liar. People who engage in pathological lying often report being unaware of the motivations for their lies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Thom |first1=Robyn |last2=Teslyar |first2=Polina |last3=Friedman |first3=Rohn |date=2017 |title=Pseudologia Fantastica in the Emergency Department: A Case Report and Review of the Literature |journal=Case Reports in Psychiatry |volume=2017 |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1155/2017/8961256 |pmc=5442346 |pmid=28573061 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Dike |first1=Charles C. |last2=Baranoski |first2=Madelon |last3=Griffith |first3=Ezra E. H. |date=2005 |title=Pathological lying revisited |journal=The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=342–349 |pmid=16186198}}</ref><ref name="dueRef1">Treanor KE. Defining, understanding, and diagnosing pathological lying (pseudologia fantastica): an empirical and theoretical investigation into what constitutes pathological lying [Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) Thesis]. Wollongong, NSW: School of Psychology, University of Wollongong; 2012. Available at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/3811/. Accessed December 2, 2019</ref><ref name="dueRef2">{{Cite journal |last1=Grey |first1=Jessica S. |last2=Durns |first2=Tyler |last3=Kious |first3=Brent M. |date=May 2020 |title=Pseudologia Fantastica: An Elaborate Tale of Combat-related PTSD |journal=Journal of Psychiatric Practice |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=241–245 |doi=10.1097/PRA.0000000000000462 |pmid=32421295 |s2cid=218691784}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Pathological Lying: Theory, Research, and Practice |collaboration=Curtis, D. A. & Hart, C. L. |publisher=American Psychological Association |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-4338-3622-0}}</ref>
In psychology and psychiatry, there is an ongoing debate about whether pathological lying should be classified as a distinct disorder or viewed as a symptom of other underlying conditions.<ref name="Dike">{{cite journal |last=Dike |first=Charles C. |date=June 1, 2008 |title=Pathological Lying: Symptom or Disease? |url=http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1162950 |url-status=dead |journal=Psychiatric Times |volume=25 |issue=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130110092455/http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1162950 |archive-date=January 10, 2013 |access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Curtis |first1=Drew A. |last2=Hart |first2=Christian L. |date=December 2020 |title=Pathological Lying: Theoretical and Empirical Support for a Diagnostic Entity |journal=Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=62–69 |doi=10.1176/appi.prcp.20190046 |pmc=9176035 |pmid=36101870 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The lack of a widely agreed-upon description or diagnostic criteria for pathological lying has contributed to the controversy surrounding its definition.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="dueRef1" /><ref name="dueRef2" /> But efforts have been made to establish diagnostic criteria based on research and assessment data, aligning with the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM).<ref name="prcp.psychiatryonline.org">{{cite journal |last1=Curtis |first1=D. |title=Pathological Lying: Theoretical and Empirical Support for a Diagnostic Entity |journal=Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice |date=June 22, 2020 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=62–69 |doi=10.1176/appi.prcp.20190046 |pmid=36101870 |pmc=9176035 }}</ref> Various theories have been proposed to explain the causes of pathological lying, including stress, an attempt to shift the locus of control to an internal one, and issues related to low self-esteem.<ref name="dueRef2" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name="dueRef1" /><ref name=":2" /> Some researchers have suggested a biopsychosocial-developmental model to explain this concept.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curtis & Hart |title=Pathological Lying: Theory, Research, and Practice |date=August 2022 |publisher=American Psychological Association |isbn=978-1-4338-3622-0 |edition=1 |url=https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/pathological-lying}}</ref> While theories have explored potential causes, the precise factors contributing to pathological lying have yet to be determined.
The phenomenon was first described in medical literature in 1890 by G. Stanley Hall and in 1891 by Anton Delbrück.<ref name="PsyTod">{{cite journal |last1=Hart |first1=Christian L. |last2=Curtis |first2=Drew A. |date=7 September 2020 |title=What Is Pathological Lying |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-nature-deception/202009/what-is-pathological-lying |journal=Psychology Today |language=en |access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="Dike" /><ref name=":2" />
==Definition== Curtis and Hart (2020) defined pathological lying as "a persistent, pervasive, and often compulsive pattern of excessive lying behavior that leads to clinically significant impairment of functioning in social, occupational, or other areas; causes marked distress; poses a risk to the self or others; and occurs for longer than 6 months" (p. 63).<ref name="prcp.psychiatryonline.org"/>
==Characteristics== Defining characteristics of pathological lying include: * An internal motivation for the behavior cannot be readily discerned clinically: e.g., long-lasting extortion or habitual spousal battery might cause a person to lie repeatedly, without the lying being pathological.<ref name=Dike /> * The stories are presented in a way that portrays the liar favorably. The liar "decorates their own person"<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Healy, M. 2004" /> by telling stories that present them as the hero or the victim. For example, they might be presented as being fantastically brave, as knowing or being related to many famous or powerful people, or as having great power, position, or wealth. (See Delusions of grandeur)
Some psychiatrists distinguish compulsive from pathological lying, while others consider them equivalent. Others deny the existence of compulsive lying altogether; this remains an area of considerable controversy.<ref name="dueRef1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite web|title=The Truth About Compulsive and Pathological Liars|url=http://psychologia.co/compulsive-and-pathological-liars/|website=Psychologia|access-date=28 January 2017}}</ref>
==Diagnosis== Pathological lying is listed in the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM), although only as a symptom of other disorders such as antisocial, narcissistic, and histrionic personality disorders, not as a stand-alone diagnosis.<ref name="King BH, Ford CV 1988 1–6"/> The former ICD-10 disorder Haltlose personality disorder is strongly tied to pathological lying.<ref name="art">Kielholz, Arthur, Internationale Zeitschrift für Psychoanalyse XIX 1933 Heft 4, "Weh' dem, der lügt! Beitrag zum Problem der Pseudologia phantastica"</ref> Pathological lying is represented in both the DSM-5 and ICD-11 alternative models of personality disorder, which emphasise dimensions of personality dysfunction, rather than specific categorical disorders. "Deceitfulness", an aspect of the Antagonism domain, is a trait encompassing pathological lying in the DSM-5's model, while the current ICD-11 trait domain of Dissociality (analogous to DSM-5 Antagonism) holds pathological lying to be a behavioural expression of the ''Lack of Empathy'' facet.<ref>Bagby, R. M., & Widiger, T. A. (2020). Assessment of the ICD-11 dimensional trait model: An introduction to the special section. ''Psychological Assessment'', ''32''(1), 1.</ref> Pathological liars do not show these antisocial behaviors; they may lie merely because they think their life is not interesting enough.<ref name="King BH, Ford CV 1988 1–6" />
== Neurobiology == Pathological lying shows a complex relationship with brain function. Compulsive lying has been reported in multiple neurological disorders, including early lesions of the prefrontal cortex,<ref>Eslinger, P. J., Flaherty-Craig, C. V., & Benton, A. L. (2004). Developmental outcomes after early prefrontal cortex damage. ''Brain and cognition'', ''55''(1), 84-103.</ref> developmental disruption of white matter pathways connecting frontal cortex with temporal, limbic and parietal regions,<ref name=":3">Roxanas, M. G., Massey, J. S., & Chaganti, J. (2014). Antisocial behaviour and lying: a neuropsychiatric presentation of agenesis of the corpus callosum. ''Australasian Psychiatry'', ''22''(5), 461-466.</ref><ref>Boes, A. D., Grafft, A. H., Joshi, C., Chuang, N. A., Nopoulos, P., & Anderson, S. W. (2011). Behavioral effects of congenital ventromedial prefrontal cortex malformation. ''BMC neurology'', ''11'', 1-11.</ref> disruptions to the functioning of the cingulate cortex,<ref name=":3" /><ref>Lagemann, T., Wolf, M., Ritter, D., Doucette, S., von Kummer, R., & Lewitzka, U. (2012). Cingulate cortex aplasia and callosal dysgenesia combined with schizencephaly in a patient with chronic lying. ''General Hospital Psychiatry,'' ''34''(3), 320-e11.</ref> and a putative phenocopy of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia.<ref>Poletti, M., Borelli, P., & Bonuccelli, U. (2011). The neuropsychological correlates of pathological lying: evidence from behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. ''Journal of neurology'', ''258'', 2009-2013.</ref> Taken together, these findings implicate dysfunction in the prefrontal and cingulate cortices, both of which are implicated in lie-telling in healthy individuals{{snd}}the former across various types of lying (different subregions handling different kinds) and the latter only in feigning ignorance.<ref>Abe, N., Suzuki, M., Tsukiura, T., Mori, E., Yamaguchi, K., Itoh, M., & Fujii, T. (2006). Dissociable roles of prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices in deception. ''Cerebral cortex'', ''16''(2), 192-199.</ref><ref>Zheltyakova, M., Kireev, M., Korotkov, A., & Medvedev, S. (2020). Neural mechanisms of deception in a social context: an fMRI replication study. ''Scientific Reports'', ''10''(1), 10713.</ref> The mechanisms of how lesions to these structures induce lying are unknown, but it has been suggested that reduced affective theory of mind and loss of sociomoral affect may induce the desire to lie, while impaired inhibitory control may prevent the regulation of such urges.
Pathological lying, which begins early in development (e.g., as part of psychopathic personality rather than being acquired by brain injury or disease), appears to relate to increased prefrontal white matter and reduced prefrontal activation when telling lies,<ref>Yang, Y., Raine, A., Lencz, T., Bihrle, S., Lacasse, L., & Colletti, P. (2005). Prefrontal white matter in pathological liars. ''The British Journal of Psychiatry'', ''187''(4), 320-325.</ref><ref>Yang, Y., Raine, A., Narr, K. L., Lencz, T., LaCasse, L., Colletti, P., & Toga, A. W. (2007). Localisation of increased prefrontal white matter in pathological liars. ''The British Journal of Psychiatry'', ''190''(2), 174-175.</ref> a significant finding given that prefrontal activation is normally increased during lie-telling.<ref>Jiang, W., Liu, H., Liao, J., Ma, X., Rong, P., Tang, Y., & Wang, W. (2013). A functional MRI study of deception among offenders with antisocial personality disorders. ''Neuroscience'', ''244'', 90-98.</ref><ref name=":4">Yin, L., & Weber, B. (2019). I lie, why don't you: Neural mechanisms of individual differences in self‐serving lying. ''Human brain mapping'', ''40''(4), 1101-1113.</ref> These findings, alongside data showing pathological liars are faster at generating and telling lies<ref name=":4" />, have been taken to suggest that liars lack the cognitive control and socioaffective networks required for inhibiting truthful responses, monitoring behaviour and believability, and adjusting deceptions to fit changing facts may be more efficient in pathological liars.
==Psychopathy== Pathological lying is an item of the interpersonal facet of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), alongside superficial charm, grandiosity, and manipulativeness.<ref name="gap">{{cite journal|doi=10.1177/1529100611426706 |pmid=26167886 |title=Psychopathic Personality: Bridging the Gap Between Scientific Evidence and Public Policy |year=2011 |last1=Skeem |first1=J. L. |last2=Polaschek |first2=D. L. L. |last3=Patrick |first3=C. J. |last4=Lilienfeld |first4=S. O. |journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=95–162 |s2cid=8521465 |url=http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/journals/pspi/psychopathy.html|url-access=subscription }}</ref> It is endorsed where an individual lies and deceives so frequently that it is a defining or central characteristic of their interactions with others. Lying in such persons is described as both calculated and aimless, with deceiving others thought to have some intrinsic value to the individual. The lies are told with ease, even when the contradicting facts are readily assessable, and the person normally shows some pride in their ability to lie, and may even openly boast of it as a talent or gift. The PCL-R distinguishes pathological lying from manipulation, which it treats separately as the strategic use of deceit and misdirection for personal gain, often by exploiting or using someone.<ref>Hare, R. D. (2003). ''Psychopathy checklist—revised.'' Psychological assessment.</ref>
==Pathological liars== Lying is the act of knowingly and intentionally or willfully making a false statement.<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lying Lying. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved September 26, 2011]</ref> Normal lies are defensive and told to avoid the consequences of truth-telling. They are often white lies that spare another's feelings, reflect a pro-social attitude, and make civilized human contact possible.<ref name="King BH, Ford CV 1988 1–6" /> Pathological lying can be described as a habituation of lying: someone consistently lies for no obvious personal gain.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 12, 2021|title=When Does Compulsive Lying Become a Pathological Disorder|url=https://www.unitedwecare.com/compulsive-lying-pathological-disorder|website=United We Care}}</ref>
There are many consequences of being a pathological liar. Due to a lack of trust, most pathological liars' relationships and friendships fail. If this continues, lying can become so severe as to cause legal problems, including, but not limited to, fraud.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Dike, C. 2008">{{cite journal |id={{Gale|A180555438}} |last1=Dike |first1=Charles C. |title=Pathological lying: symptom or disease? Living with no permanent motive or benefit |journal=Psychiatric Times |date=1 June 2008 |volume=25 |issue=7 |pages=67–73 }}</ref>
==Epidemiology== The average age of onset is before adulthood.<ref name=":2" /> Individuals with the condition tend to have average verbal skills as opposed to performance abilities.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yong|first=Ed|date=2018-03-12|title=How Psychopaths See the World|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/03/a-hidden-problem-at-the-heart-of-psychopathy/555335/|access-date=2021-07-16|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}</ref> Thirty percent of subjects had a chaotic home environment, where a parent or other family member had a mental disturbance. Its occurrence was found by the study to be equal in women and men.<ref name="Healy, M. 2004">{{cite book |last1=Healy |first1=Mary Tenney |last2=Healy |first2=William |date=2004 |orig-year=1915 |title=Pathological lying, accusation and swindling: a study in forensic psychology |location=Whitefish, MT |publisher=Kessinger |isbn=978-1-4191-4030-3 }}{{page needed|date=February 2021}}</ref><ref name="King BH, Ford CV 1988 1–6">{{cite journal |vauthors=King BH, Ford CV |title=Pseudologia fantastica |journal=Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica |volume=77 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |date=January 1988 |pmid=3279719 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0447.1988.tb05068.x|s2cid=221390958 }}</ref> Forty percent of cases reported central nervous system abnormality such as epilepsy, abnormal EEG findings, ADHD, head trauma, or CNS infection.<ref name="King BH, Ford CV 1988 1–6"/>
==See also== {{Columns-list|colwidth=30em| * Child lying * Compulsive behavior * Confabulation * Ganser syndrome * Impostor syndrome * Munchausen syndrome * Psychological projection }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * [https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/pathological-lying Curtis, D.A. & Hart, C.L. (2022). Pathological Lying:Theory, Research, and Practice. American Psychological Association.] * [https://prcp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.prcp.20190046 Curtis, D.A. & Hart, C. L. (2020). Pathological Lying: Theoretical and Empirical Support for a Diagnostic Entity] * [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-nature-deception/202009/what-is-pathological-lying Hart CL; Curtis DA (2020). "What Is Pathological Lying?". Psychology Today ] * {{cite journal |vauthors=Hardie TJ, Reed A |title=Pseudologia fantastica, factitious disorder and impostership: a deception syndrome |journal=Medicine, Science, and the Law |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=198–201 |date=July 1998 |pmid=9717367|doi=10.1177/002580249803800303 |s2cid=9402077 }} * {{cite journal |author=Newmark N |author2=Adityanjee |author3= Kay J |title=Pseudologia fantastica and factitious disorder: review of the literature and a case report |journal=Comprehensive Psychiatry |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=89–95 |year=1999 |pmid=10080254 |doi=10.1016/S0010-440X(99)90111-6}}
==External links== {{wikiversity|Mythomania: A Mental Disorder or a Symptom?}} * [https://www.psychvarsity.com/How-To-Spot-A-Pathological-Liar How to Spot a Pathological Liar - Master the Art of Unmasking Deception]
{{Psychopathy}} {{Addiction}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Communication of falsehoods Category:Habit and impulse disorders Category:Lying Category:Symptoms and signs of mental disorders