

It felt we were making progress, but when I broached the topic of him consulting a psychiatrist, everything went downhill and Rajan went back to lying.

As advised by the psychiatrist, lie by lie, I started confronting him in a non-threatening, but firm manner. The psychiatrist explained what Rajan suffered from - compulsive lying. I finally confided in my friend, who told me to consult a psychiatrist. Even our in-laws were unaware of the extent of trouble he was in. The house we lived in and called his turned out to be rented. His so-called success was a string of maxed out credit cards and loans. He would lie about little things - where he was or who he was with. “When I met Rajan, I thought I had met the perfect man. Narayani Mathur, 42, tells us about being married to a pathological liar for seven years. Therapy, but treatment must be voluntary.” Compulsive lying can be dealt with through long-term psychotherapy sessions and cognitive behavioural “A compulsive liar has a genuine problem and needs to be treated with patience and care - asking them to simply stop lying is akin to asking an alcoholic to drop the bottle. Many compulsive liars lie to gain sympathy and attention - particularly if they feel unaccepted by their peers,” says Dr Shah. It starts with one lie one says to feel better and builds up from there. “In most cases compulsive lying stems from a feeling of deep-rooted inadequacy. He adds, “Telling the truth is not half as much fun and can actually affect them with ‘withdrawal symptoms’.” “Like an addiction to anything more tactile, such as drugs or alcohol, gambling or sex - compulsive liars feel pleasure upon the stating and completion of a lie,” explains Dr Bharat Shah, psychiatrist, Mumbai. Compulsive or pathological liars lie with comfort and they find it normal, whereas telling the truth is almost physically uncomfortable for them.
#Pathological liar quiz professional#
A compulsive liar is someone who lies as a ‘matter of habit’ - be it lying about something as small as where they last vacationed or something with a far more lasting impact, such as their educational qualification or professional background.
