Beyond the White Lie, Fiction Takes Over Identity

Do you know someone who lies constantly even when the truth would be easier or more advantageous? This isn’t a lack of shame or a bad habit that can be corrected with a lecture or a scolding. We’re talking about mythomania, a complex disorder that traps the person in a web of fictions. Of which, paradoxically, they are the first victim.

As a psychiatrist, throughout my career, I haven’t seen many people with this problem. The few I have worked with came to my office accompanied by a desperate family member or partner. The reason was almost never the lie itself, but the consequences: inexplicable debts, broken friendships, lost job opportunities, family relationship problems, or a profound existential void.

Today, I want to invite you to understand what mythomania really is, to debunk myths. And to explore what psychological science has discovered about this interesting but destructive condition.

It’s not just lying a lot, it’s lying without restraint.

We all lie. The most conservative statistics indicate that the average person tells one or two lies a day. Usually white lies (“Your haircut looks great on you”) or strategic ones (“I’m on my way,” when in reality we’re still at home). Mythomania, technically is radically different.

The mythomaniac doesn’t lie to obtain an immediate tangible benefit. They lie out of a compulsive and uncontrollable need. Their lies are often elaborate, grandiose, or, paradoxically, extremely banal. They might invent a heroic past, a serious illness, a family connection to a celebrity, or simply claim to have had fruit, eggs, ham, and cereal for breakfast when in reality they only had a cup of coffee. The common thread isn’t gain, but internal emotional regulation: the lie functions as a painkiller for anxiety, low self-esteem, or existential boredom.

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When we detect that someone is lying, we often say, “Your nose is going to grow,” alluding to Pinocchio, the character from world literature created by the Italian Carlo Collodi. Photo: Archive

What happens in the brain of a mythomaniac?

For years, it was believed to be simply an extreme variant of antisocial personality. However, neuroimaging has revolutionized our understanding of the problem. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown that in people with chronic mythomania, the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for impulse control and the evaluation of consequences. So it shows decreased activity when they tell a spontaneous lie.

But the most striking thing happens in the amygdala (the center of emotions). In most of us, lying generates a small stress response, an emotional “twitch” that curbs the impulse. In mythomaniacs, this response is anesthetized; they lie with emotional detachment. They don’t feel the fear of being discovered because, deep down, the lie has become as real to them as it is to their interlocutor.
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The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) considers mythomania a symptom of antisocial personality disorder. And not a mental disorder in itself, a view not shared by all psychologists and psychiatrists. Photo: Archive

The Psychological Profile: Not All Are the Same

Based on current evidence, mythomaniacs are usually grouped into two main profiles, although they frequently overlap:

The Narcissistic Mythomaniac: Uses lies to construct an ideal, brilliant, and untouchable self. They need to be the center of admiration. Their fictions are epic: they saved a life, know important personalities, have many important relationships, rub shoulders with influential people, or have a past full of merits. Here, the lie is a shield against vulnerability.

The anxious or borderline mythomaniac: Lies out of fear of abandonment or conflict. They accept an invitation they don’t intend to honor, invent a family emergency to avoid a meeting. Or create a parallel story to appear more interesting and avoid rejection. Their lie is a flawed social prosthesis.

And what about the pathological liar who also defrauds or manipulates? This type of liar usually meets the criteria for antisocial personality disorder (sociopathy). The key difference: the sociopath knows they are lying and enjoys the power of deception. The mythomaniac, on the other hand, ends up believing their own lies. When confronted with irrefutable evidence, they don’t confess, get angry, or invent a new lie to explain the previous one.

Is there a cure for mythomania?

The news here is hopeful but realistic. There is no pill for mythomania. The treatment of choice is long-term cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Often combined with approaches based on [missing information – likely a specific approach or method].

The first and most significant step is for the patient to recognize that they have a problem. Psychotherapy focuses on three fundamental areas: documenting lies, training in coping skills, and building genuine self-esteem. The ultimate goal is for the patient to discover their own worth without embellishments.

What should you do if you live with a pathological liar?

Before we finish, let me offer some practical advice. Confronting a pathological liar with “I’m going to prove you’re lying” almost never works. It will only lead them to refine their technique or end the relationship. Instead, consider the following points:

  1. Don’t engage in the process of verifying every fact. It will exhaust you.
  2. Validate the emotion, not the content. You could say, “It seems very important to you that I believe this story. Let’s talk about how you really feel.”
  3. Establish clear boundaries and consequences. For example, “If you invent expenses again, we can’t continue in business together.”
  4. Seek professional help for yourself. The family member or partner of a pathological liar often develops high levels of anxiety and chronic mistrust. A psychologist can help you protect your mental health.

Truth as Rehabilitation

Mythomania is not a moral failing; it is a psychological dysfunction with observable brain-based causes. This doesn’t justify it, but it does compel us to stop pointing fingers and start building bridges toward treatment. Although the path is not easy, some patients learn, through effort, to let go of the heavy burden of their fictions and discover that the truth, however modest, always weighs less. And in that relief, paradoxically, they find the recognition they so desperately sought through their lies.

If this reading has resonated with your personal experience or that of someone close to you, remember: the first lie that must be debunked is that mythomania is incurable. It is treatable, but it requires courage to ask for help. And that first genuine step, that one truly deserves all our admiration.

Israel Manuel Fagundo Pino
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