User:Curiousindian

A strong relationship should be built on trust and honesty. If you are in a relationship and you love your partner too much to let him or her go, then you might want to take a look at the signs and reasons behind being a compulsive liar:

This bad habit can stem from having a very low self-confidence. There are several reasons why one would compulsively or deliberately lie.One of which is having a low self-esteem. If you do not love yourself enough, then you can never love anyone else completely and selflessly.Having a low self-esteem can later on lead to compulsive lying.  Take this as an example:

A boy/girl who had a humiliating childhood experience or comes from a broken family is very ashamed of his/her family background.Before he/she finally reaches adulthood. He/She is at a very awkward stage where it takes very little to wound him/her fragile ego. He/She is very easily hurt by little or non issue and lives with the sore for the entire life. As a result, he/she makes up stories about his/her family background, and lies about himself/herself. Once he/she sees that his/her stories are weaving magic on other people and the stories make them like his/her, what is the result? he/She will keep on weaving lies, and this habit he/she will take with him/her until he/she grows into a mature adult. People with this complex never think that they are, nor will they ever be, as good as the people around them. Even though they are most superior, they would try to find things that they don't have and would be unhappy for that. In the above example, once the girl turns out into a man/woman and he/she is at a stage where he/she begins to have relationships, guess what will happen? Instead of breaking the chain and finding ways to stop the habit, he/she will keep on lying to keep a woman/man interested or feel important. In the end, he/she will never have a stable relationship because the truth about him/her will come out eventually. If you have a relation with this kind of person help the compulsive liar by encouraging him/her for counseling.

Compulsive liar#1: I am afraid to face the truth.A compulsive liar feels that it is but natural to lie, so he/she is actually afraid of facing up to facts. He/She is always in denial. He/She wants to believe the lies that He/she made up, so much so that He/she sometimes believe it to be true. In fact, she wants it to be the truth.Usually, compulsive liars develop this habit at an early age and it is carried on to their adulthood.

Compulsive liar #2: My lies are better than your truth.Compulsive liars usually experience jealousy and fear towards other people.He or she will also feel that since they are so used to lying, they can easily see through the deceit of other people. Thus, they show an air of authority, and they think that other people will never see through their lies.This develops into a vicious cycle that is even more destructive for the person with this complex, and will surely affect the people around him or her.

Some more Compulsive Lying Symptoms : It is not easy to spot compulsive liar symptoms, as the lies are many times too subtle to catch ones eye or these compulsive liars are very skillful in presenting their lies. Compulsive liar symptoms become apparent mostly to the near and dear ones of the compulsive liar. Things begin to open up when close ones can easily spot the lies from the truth. The compulsive liar symptoms are as follows:

Attention Seekers: There are certain people who need to be the center of attraction where ever they go. In order to maintain their high popularity rate, they begin to build up attention seeking white lies. These lies soon become a part of their personalities and they never find it necessary to shrug off the harmless lies. Create Stories: Creating stories of valor and great deeds about oneself all the time, is a compulsive liar symptom. They make up such great stories about themselves, that they loose their charm once the cat is out of the bag. For example, someone claims to have fought a bloody fight with a goon at the local bar, when actually he is known to get scared or has even fainted at the sight of blood. Covering Up: When a compulsive liar gets caught in his lies, he will cook up another story of how he is falsely accused or will deny it totally with another story to back up his claim of innocence. Same Story, Different Characters: Plagiarism becomes another part of obsessive compulsive liar symptoms. One may not realize mentioning the same lie to the same person, more than once. Each time he says the same lie, the basic concept remains the same, only the characters, place, date of occurrence, etc. may change. Poor Self Esteem: The hallmark of compulsive liar disorder symptom is low self esteem. An inferiority complex forces the person to make up stories, that makes him/her feel worthy and appreciated.

Bipolar Disorder: People suffering from a bipolar disorder are always suffering from mood swings, that range from depression to a manic behavior. During this period, their impulsive behavior is switched on, that forces them to lie through their nose. Other Addictions: Drug addicts, alcoholics, gamblers, etc. who are into similar activities that causes them to fall into trouble more than often, may exhibit compulsive liar disorder. They may keep lying to help themselves out of sticky situations, get out of financial mess, hide the truth about themselves, from their family and friends.

Reality Denial: People who are unable to face the truth or unable to admit truth are true compulsive liars. They may turn on a elaborate emotional display that takes the attention away from their lies. Know more on signs of compulsive lying.

Treatment Must Be Voluntary

If you think someone you know lies compulsively, you can discuss the possibility of counseling. Chances are high that the person will deny it and refuse treatment. If the person decides to go to therapy, but does not believe he or she has a problem, treatment is most likely not effective. Since behavior modification is the main treatment method, the lying will most likely not stop if the person is not willing to change his or her behavior. These people will usually end therapy out of frustration or lie to the therapist about how well they are doing in and out of the office.

How to Help Someone

Since you can't force someone into treatment for compulsive lying, it can be difficult to deal with that person. Either you can humor the person by just listening and not putting much faith in what he or she says, or avoid the person entirely. Many people who have trouble telling the truth will do it for the reaction; if you don't give them a reaction, they will most likely not embellish the truth as much. However, the problem is that your relationship is probably already on the rocks by this point, and you never know what is really true or false.

Summarized from medical journals