This can certainly happen more often than you think, but be careful! You have to be absolutely sure you are correct. Unless you have gone to the doctors with this friend of yours and heard the diagnosis then you'll never know for sure.
Some people fake illness' to get attention. It doesn't make them a bad person, but just one that feels they have not had much attention in their lives and without thinking they can lie about something to get that attention and before they know it they can be caught up in such a web of lies it's too late to back out without looking like a fool. Lying about a disease is not hard at all in this modern age because you can get a lot of info off the web on disease so the person that could be lying sounds quite legitimate when they are telling their friends a disease they may have. I know it seems cruel to you that a friend would do this to you, but if you put it into perspective as to why they are lying then you can deal with it.
Unfortunately, compulsive liars are hard people to know when to trust and not trust. It's just like that childhood story "Peter & The Wolf" ... if you cry wolf one too many times no one is going to hear them. The sad thing of it all is, if the compulsive liar really does have a severe illness this is when their friends will usually doubt them. Who could blame them!
Marcy
AnswerYou cant, i live with a compulsive liar, the best thing you can do i help to accept she is a liar, the change has to come from within herself rather than through you! Tell her you know she is lying but don't accuse her it will make it worse.Lying like this is most likely a symptom of a mental health issue. Bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and delusional disorder all are possibilitiesfor this type of behavior. Be careful about what you read on forums. There are a lot of people with an opinion but without any medical knowledge of what they are writing about.
Mentally healthy people say things that aren't true on a regular basis but not about something this big. This may be attention seeking behavior but it is not in the normal range of behavior.
Encourage your friend to get help. Confronting the lies can cause your friend to explode or leave. Try to talk to the person during calm times about their need for help.
I am currently dealing with a long time family friend who says she has cancer. She has never let anyone go to the doctor with her but lies and says that others have gone. She recently started taking medication for bipolar and we can see the difference.
Kill her.
Compulsive lying is when you cannot stop lying, so you lie almost whenever you can.
No!!
Psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, and other mental health personnel use the term 'compulsive lying' when they refer to people who cannot control their lying, that is, people who feel compelled to lie and are aware that they are lying. Therefore, compulsive lying implies impaired ability to control it. The term 'compulsive lying' is not a diagnosis. It is a behavior or a symptom associated with a number of mental disorders [for example, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder]. The term "confabulation" is used to describe lying or invention when the person who is lying is not aware that they are lying. To be more specific, confabulation is treating a fantasy as a fact, without awareness that fantasy has replaced fact."
deceitfulmisleadingunreliable
No, lying out of fear is not compulsive lying. It may be a compulsion, but that's a normal reaction; a defense mechanism. If you lie out of fear, it is justified, therefore *not* driven by a compulsion. Compulsive lying is an actual disorder, characterized by the pathalogical liar telling fibs without motivation, often telling wildly exaggerated stories and appearing to honestly believe them to be true.
Go get help. Get counseling and figure out why you lie.
Yes, I do it all the time, so do lots of adders.
You don't, get out while you can. A relationship like that is doomed like the Titanic!!!
Though compulsive lying is not considered a genetic disorder, it is a psychiatric illness. Compulsive liars actually take pleasure in this agbnormal entity and it feels right to them. Telling the truth, on the other hand, is very difficult and uncomfortable. This disorder is addictive and very hard to stop. Also, t make this more complicated, there is usually an underlying personality disorder. Compulsive lying can only be dealt with through aggressive counseling and therapy. However, for therapy to be successful, the patient must be able to admit that they do have a problem.
Compulsive lying, or pathological lying, is a common disorder often caused by low self-esteem and a need for attention. Often, the liar does not realize how often he or she is lying because it becomes second nature. Compulsive lying alienates friends and loved ones and often brings about the opposite of what the liar wants: instead of getting the attention they often crave, they end up pushing people away. With therapy, many people can overcome their compulsion to lie and salvage their interpersonal relationships before it is too late.
compulsive lying is a disease. you should go to your doctor they have medication for this situation now... And when you start believing your own lies and can not stop telling a lie that means you need to talk to you doctor, It is confidential...and doctors are great.... they will take care of you....