The Mitomania Is a psychological disorder in which the person lies compulsively to such an extent that he is able to believe his own lies.
It was first described in the medical literature in 1891 by Anton Delbrueck. The mythomaniac individual may be aware that he is lying, or may believe that they are telling the truth.
The main features of the mythomania are:
- The stories told are often dazzling or fantastic, but they never break the limits of plausibility, which is key to the tactics of the pathological liar.
- The tendency to lie is chronic. It is not caused by the immediate situation or by social pressure, but by an innate personality trait.
- Stories told tend to present the liar favorably. The liar"favors his own person"telling stories that present him as the hero or the victim.
Causes
At present there are several theories that try to explain the mythomania.
From psychobiology, research has been done indicating that it is the result of a neurological imbalance, particularly in the frontal lobe. A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Found that pathological liars have an increase in the amount of white matter in the brain.
The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences) found that people with this disorder had right hemithymal dysfunction.
Many psychiatrists and psychologists believe that mythomaniacs are people with low self-esteem who are seeking, consciously or unconsciously, to attract attention, popularity, love, or conceal a failure.
Many experts believe that compulsive lying is a symptom of a larger personality disorder, including Borderline personality disorder Y Antisocial personality disorder .
Diagnosis
As a result of not being included in the DSM-IV, there are no real diagnostic criteria for mythomania.
However, many psychiatrists and psychologists will establish a diagnosis based on patterns of behavior as reported by their loved ones and through observation of the individual.
Symptoms of Mythomania
When we speak of mythomania or mythomaniac people, we basically refer to people who integrate the ability to lie in their behavior and attitude of their daily routine.
Therefore the main symptoms that lead to lies in the lives of these people are:
High Anxiety Episodes . Mythomaniacs are people disenchanted with their own reality, for this they suffer various Anxiety episodes Which motivates them to create their lies, deforming their environment and life towards others.
Low self-esteem . Their inability to accept themselves, makes them draw a profile of themselves totally removed from reality; Often verbally show rich and interesting experiences, ideas and experiences.
Stress . People who compulsively lie together live with Daily stress To keep their lies, not to be discovered. They must create situations and contexts from which they can escape and continue with their unreality. They have an exacerbated fear of being discovered, the mental work to build lies is multiplied, until they are discovered.
Believe in their lies . The mythomaniac has the ability to internalize as his own the experiences or experiences invented towards others, so they maintain a natural attitude to the facts he relates, sometimes treats them as old memories.
Magnifying reality . It is possible that a liar of this category can tell a reality but totally oversized with invented ornaments, to try to endorse as a person before others. Gesturing in communication is very common among mythomaniacs.
These symptoms mold a personality dedicated to inventing and distorting realities, situations and life in general.
If you need to know how to know if any known person lies, You will be interested in this article .
Differences between mythomaniac and liar
It is important to differentiate a liar from a mythomaniac, the two lie, but there are important differences: the liar lies with a purpose, whether to protect or defend himself from something or someone, he always has a reason not to tell the truth.
Instead the mythomaniac lies compulsively, sometimes without motivation, often lies are absurd and inexcusable, creating ridiculous situations. The mythomaniac has a disorder, which leads him to lie hopelessly in his life.
Treatment
Two types of actions can be distinguished that help to minimize and correct the serious consequences of the mythomania:
Cognitive Therapies . They are all those actions, exercises or activities that help the mythomaniac to find the source of his low esteem; As we have said earlier insecurity and low self-esteem is the main culprit in the creation of the first lies to become a daily pathological fact. Work on your personality and self-knowledge, so that from this point you build the strong foundations of a healthy and transparent personality. Visit this article To learn to work on self-esteem.
Communication . Communication is the basic instrument for solving any psychological problem; Offering the effective social and communicative tools to face life is imperative. The mythomaniac will collect these social"weapons"to develop assertiveness towards others.
Fighting mythomania, depending on its gravity, is a medium- and long-term job, because it must re-educate the perception of the reality of the compulsive liar. Patience, affection and tenacity are basic ingredients for those who wish to help and live with a mythomaniac.
Mythomania is a difficult and complex disorder; With what is reported in this article you can make a composition of what is a mythomaniac. It must be treated in all seriousness the activity of these people because, can ruin the lives of their relatives and relatives.
Consequences of lying compulsively
Mythomania is a serious disorder that affects not only the liar but directly to their closest environment. The profile of the compulsive liar is faithfully addressed in Kurt Schneider's scientific work"The Psychopathic Personalities".
They are people who lack certain moral values, they are traitors, disloyal, without any flush before the lie. This causes a huge problem for family and friends. For trust is slowly cracked until it can have no bond with the mythomaniacs.
The family context, personal is blurred and lost in favor of an isolated person, believer of their fantasies, without any credibility to maintain social relations.
The mythomaniac becomes a solitary being incapable of securing social relations, beyond close family ties; Not being discovered gives you satisfaction, creating a dangerous addiction that fuels your disorder.
Combating mitomania is an exercise in patience and love for the person suffering from this pathological disorder. In the first place it is necessary to make the mythomaniac see his attitude, his constant relief before lies and fantasy. If the compulsive liar is not able to accept his problem, little more can be done.
It is necessary to be very firm and serious before any lie discovered to the mythomaniac, because it is one of the first signs to show for its recovery.
Family members or persons close to the mythomaniac should seek guidance from a professional so that they can create an optimal action plan for successful treatment.
As you can see, it is a work of all the near surroundings of the compulsive liar, because it must be the cornerstone of his recovery.
Do you know any mithma people? Do you think we all have some mitochondria? I am interested in your opinion. Thanks!