That’s what you could call pathological lying. This is a compulsive pattern of telling people things you already know are false. This problem is also known as mythomania or pseudologia fantastica, and it can cause a lot of issues in a relationship, whether it’s a romantic, professional, or familial one.

What’s interesting about pathological lying is that it’s like an addiction that you can’t easily overcome. Think of it like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): you might know and be aware of what you’re doing, but it’s extremely hard for you to stop.

This concept is controversial in psychology, with many experts saying that it’s not a mental health diagnosis, while others say that it’s no more than a symptom of a mental health condition. However, experts need to perform many tests to find out more about this, but that’s not today’s topic.

I know that lying is a huge problem in relationships, which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you about ways to spot this type of behavior.

That leads me to a simple question: Are you a pathological liar? Or maybe there is such a con in your life? You’ll have to read along with me until the end of this article to find out!