Mythomania: symptoms, causes and treatment in children and adults.

Pathological lying can completely destroy the sufferer's social relationships.

Lying is a behavior as inherent to human beings as eating and sleeping.. It can be an effective technique, although not very honest, when it comes to achieve certain purposes or even to try to be accepted by those around us.

However, when lying becomes a necessity and the lie involves all aspects of a person's life, it is possible that he or she suffers from mythical mythology, it is possible that this person suffers from mythomaniaa psychological disorder in which the person lies permanently about his or her life.

What is mythomania?

Mythomania, also known as pathological lying or fantastic pseudology.is a psychological disorder first described in 1891 by the Swiss psychiatrist Anton Delbrück. This condition is suffered by people who lie constantly and repeatedly in order to get the attention and admiration of others.

These people constantly falsify and distort reality and, although they are mostly aware of it most of the time they are aware that they are lying, on some occasions they may even believe that they are lying.They may sometimes believe their own inventions and take them as real.

Usually these people are driven by an imperious 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 consider their life tedious, unpleasant or unhappy.

The main characteristic of the lies of mythomania is that these narratives always tend to be fascinating and chimerical. However, they are never impossible or too fantastic, they are never impossible or too fantastic, so it is really difficult to identify that the person is lying.It is therefore very 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.

Moreover, since this need to lie is a personality trait of the subject, he/she is lying chronically. That is to say, it does not respond to a specific social situation but rather their whole life revolves around lying.

Who experiences it?

Although it is not entirely proven, different research suggests that mythomania has a higher incidence in men than in women. a higher incidence in men than in women. Among the main characteristics of the personality of these people would be low self-esteem, narcissism, little or no social skills and a tendency to distrust other people.

What are the symptoms?

Because mythomania is considered to be a compelling need to lie, it can be considered similar to a type of addiction. similar to a type of addiction, so it shares a number of common traits and symptoms with other addictions. These symptoms are:

• Increased anxious symptomatology at the time of carrying out the addictive behavior. In this case, lying.
• Constant intrusive thoughts and ideas.
• Inability to resist the urge to lie..
• Decreased psychological pressure when lying and not being caught.

In addition, there are a series of symptoms of mythomania. Among these are:

1. Magnification of reality

Sometimes, instead of inventing a story, the mythomaniac magnifies reality, overstating and decorating it to make it much more interesting and attractive. In addition, these people tend to gesticulate in an exaggerated manner when accompanying their stories.

2. Low self-esteem

The need to lie tends to be enhanced by a low self-esteem and an inability to accept and accept oneself. an inability to accept themselves and their lives as they are.. Hence the need to elaborate and express an idea of themselves that makes them seem attractive and interesting.

3. Anxious symptomatology

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 be in reality.

4. Constant feeling of stress

The feeling of constant fear of being discovered, the effort derived from maintaining the lies and the permanent creation of scenarios and contexts in order not to be discovered, leads them to experience persevering levels of stress that end up wearing them down psychologically.

5. Ability to believe their 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; accepting them as truths or as situations lived in a real way..

Finally, mythomania can be integrated as a symptom of other psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, as well as in some other addictionsThe latter place the person in a situation of isolation and great need to obtain money.

Its causes

Although the exact cause of mythomania has not yet been determined, there are a number of theories that try to give a basis to this disorder, there are a series of theories that try to give a basis to this disorder.

As for the neuropsychological basis, some research points to a neuronal imbalance in the frontal lobe area, as well as an increased amount of white matter in the brain.

On the other hand, according to different hypotheses put forward by psychology, the cause of this condition is to be found in a set of personality traits that make it easier for the patient to develop this disorder. personality traits that make it easier for the person to feel the need to lie in order to attract attention or for to attract attention or in order to seek popularity or affection from other people.

Finally, theories have also been developed suggesting that mythomania is actually a symptom of another, more significant underlying psychological condition, such as borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.

Is there treatment?

Because of their fear of being found out or of having their reality discovered, in most cases people with mythomania usually do not come for consultation or show 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 those cases in which direct treatment can be initiated, it is necessary to obtain the person's commitment. it is necessary to get the person's commitment and ensure their willingness to collaborate, otherwise the therapy will have no effect on them.

There are different means or techniques to treat mythomania. Some options are:

• Cognitive or cognitive-behavioral therapy.
• Training in social skills and communication and communication techniques.
• Pharmacotherapy with anxiolytics.