What Is The Medical Term For A Compulsive Liar?
Question submitted September 9, 2004: On August 5, 2003, the following question was submitted: ” What is the medical terminology for someone who is a compulsive liar and can not control it?” CyberShrink’s answer posted 9-10-04: On 8-5-03 we said, “We think that psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, and other mental health personnel use the term ‘compulsive lying’ when they refer to people who cannot control their lying, that is, people who feel compelled to lie and are aware that they are lying. Therefore, compulsive lying implies impaired ability to control it. The term ‘compulsive lying’ is not a diagnosis. It is a behavior or a symptom associated with a number of mental disorders [for example, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder]. The term “confabulation” is used to describe lying or invention when the person who is lying is not aware that they are lying. To be more specific, confabulation is treating a fantasy as a fact, without awareness that fantasy has replaced fact.”
