This week, we asked our own Dr. Van Pelt to discuss the relationship between sociopathy, mental illness, and pathological lying. Unfortunately, Dr. Van Pelt was inadvertently called away at the last minute to council an individual in Mexico and was unable to visit with us about her findings.
Filling in for Dr. Van Pelt this week will be noted actor and international music star.....
.
..
Snoop Dog....
"First, I want to thank my good friend Sam T. Eagle,
Esquire for giving me the opportunity to talk
to all you fine people on this important topic."
Pathological lying is not an inherent characteristic of bipolar disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. That is, people with bipolar disorder or ADHD are no more or less likely to lie than are people with most other psychiatric disorders, or people without psychiatric disorders, for that matter.
The exception might be when someone with bipolar disorder is in such a manic state that they lose touch with reality and report -- and believe -- things about themselves and other people that aren't true (like claiming people who drowned at sea are hiding out in small Mexican villages), but such statements are a manifestation of delusions rather than a conscious intent to deceive.
The condition that's most associated with pathological lying is sociopathy or antisocial personality disorder, which is characterized by a lack of regard for others' feelings and manipulating others for personal gain (or sometimes just plain amusement). People with antisocial personality disorder also frequently have erratic work histories (bankrupt businesses) and substance abuse problems and may pretend they are federal agents.
One other condition sometimes associated with lying is dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder (MPD). People with DID are sometimes accused of lying because they deny engaging in activities others have witnessed them doing. They may not be consciously lying, however, if they engaged in the behavior while in a dissociated state -- for instance, as one of their dissociated aspects of self, or alternate personalities -- and have no conscious memory of it.
I have found that the most effective treatment for correcting this type of behavior to to fill their lying ass with some caps.
