Mitomania: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment In Children And Adults
Lying is a behavior as inherent to human beings as eating and sleeping Becoming an effective technique, although not too honest, when it comes to achieving certain goals or even trying to be accepted by those around us.
However, when lying becomes a necessity and lying involves all aspects of a person’s life, It is possible that she suffers from mythomania a psychological disorder in which the person permanently lies about their life.
Mythomania, also known as pathological lying or fantastic pseudology, is a psychological disorder that was first described in 1891 by the Swiss psychiatrist Anton Delbrück. This condition is suffered by those people who lie constantly and repetitively with the aim of achieving the attention and admiration of others.
These people constantly falsify and distort reality and, although In most cases they are aware that they are lying on some occasions they can come to believe their own inventions and take them as real.
Usually these people are motivated by an overwhelming need to fascinate other people, pretending that their life is extremely exciting. However, in the vast majority of cases, they are aware that their reality is very different and they consider their life tedious, unpleasant or miserable.
The main characteristic of the lies typical of mythomania is that these narratives always tend to be fascinating and chimerical. However, They never become impossible or are too fantastic so it is really difficult to identify that the person is lying.
Of course, the mythomaniac person always tends to be the hero or protagonist of their own lies, since their main motivation is to dazzle other people and thus achieve fame and admiration.
Furthermore, given that this need to lie is a personality trait of the subject, he or she lies chronically. That is, it does not respond to a specific social situation but rather his entire life revolves around lying.
Who experiences it?
Although it is not completely proven, different investigations suggest that mythomania has a higher incidence in men than in women Among the main personality characteristics of these people would be low self-esteem, narcissism, few or no social skills and a tendency to distrust other people.
What are the symptoms?
Because mythomania is considered the overwhelming need to lie, it can be considered something similar to a type of addiction, so it shares a series of common traits and symptoms with other addictions. These symptoms are:
Furthermore, there are a series of symptoms of mythomania Among which are:
1. Magnification of reality
On some occasions, instead of inventing a story, the mythomaniac magnifies reality, oversizing it and decorating it to make it much more interesting and attractive. Furthermore, these people tend to gesture exaggeratedly when accompanying their stories.
2. Low self-esteem
The need to lie is usually enhanced by low self-esteem and an inability to accept yourself and your life as it is Hence the need to develop and express an idea of themselves that makes them seem attractive and interesting.
3. Anxious symptoms
Due to the frustration and disenchantment they experience with the reality of life, mythomaniacs tend to experience numerous episodes of anxiety as a result of comparing their life with what they would like it to really be.
The feeling of constant fear of being discovered, the effort derived from maintaining lies and the permanent creation of scenarios and contexts to avoid being discovered, leads them to experience persistent stress levels that end up wearing them down on a psychological level.
5. Ability to believe your own lies
Although it does not occur on all occasions, many of the people who live with mythomania can come to assimilate or believe their own lies; accepted as truths or as situations experienced in a real way
Finally, mythomania may be integrated as a symptom more typical of other psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. as well as in some other addictions since the latter place the person in a situation of isolation and great need to get money.
Its causes
Although the exact cause of mythomania has not yet been determined, There are a series of theories that try to give a basis to this disorder
Regarding the neuropsychological bases, some research points to a neuronal imbalance in the frontal lobe area, as well as a greater amount of white matter in the brain.
On the other hand, according to different hypotheses proposed by psychology, the cause of this condition is found in a set of personality traits that make it easier for the person to feel the need to lie to attract attention or with the purpose of seeking the popularity or affection of other people.
Finally, theories have also been developed indicating that mythomania is actually a symptom of another more important underlying psychological condition, such as borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
Due to their fear of being discovered or having their reality discovered, in most cases people with mythomania do not usually go to consultation or they express a great repulsion to therapy. Therefore, a large part of the intervention is done through family members or acquaintances very close to the person.
However, in cases where direct treatment can be initiated it is necessary to get the person’s commitment and ensure his willingness to collaborate, otherwise the therapy will have no effect on him.
There are different means or techniques to treat mythomania. Some options are:
