UNDERSTANDING PSEUDOLOGIA FANTASTICA

Lying is a fundamental virtue that many do it once in a while. Many people lie once in a while to perhaps get out of the trouble they might be facing.

We are accustomed to lying to avoid adverse consequences. We have socially accepted lying to the extent that back in the days we will sit around fires listening to lekapa (fake tales).

In view of the fact that lying is a socially acceptable phenomenon, how does it then become a problem? For some individuals, lying is done to obtain internal gratification from admiration or attention secondary to the lie. Lying for gratification is known as pathological lying or pseudologia fantastica. The disorder is very rare but there are significant number of individuals afflicted by the disorder. The disorder was first discovered by German physician Dr. Anton Delibrueck who observed his clients telling lies that he deemed excessive and disproportionate to reality.

Lying features more in personality disorders like narcissistic, antisocial and histrionic. The lies are often riddled with fantasy that the clinician who does not know the client quite well will easily notice such. The pattern of the lying is such that it is habitual and may be compulsive to some extent. The lies often present the proponent in positive light as either the hero or victim from the “story” and often the individuals are in such instances related to famous people. The disorder can go to the extent of affecting relationships, marriages, relationships and leading to tumultuous workplaces.

The disorder does not have a specific cause like most of the mental disorders but those having a chaotic family environment are often at risk. As an example, an individual who is abused may be compelled to lie about the situation in order to avoid further harm.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy and head injury have also been seen to increase the risk for the disorder.

Pathological lying can be treated through psychotherapy. It must be noted that for successful treatment is dependent upon the person diagnosed with pseudologia fantastica acknowledging that he/she has the problem. Couple counselling may as well be instituted for couples who have adversely been affected by the constant lying.