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What is mythomania and what are its effects?
We all hate lies, although on more than one occasion we have used them to save ourselves from something. The problem occurs when it stops being something occasional, and becomes a permanent behavior, and this is called mythomania.
Many see it as absurd that the action of excessive lying is classified as a disease. But when the lies are motivated by manipulation, to seek attention, it is clear that there is a psychological problem, which can be dangerous.
Surely, you have run into a mythomaniac and you will not have noticed. And so that it doesn't happen again, here I'll teach you everything you need to know about mythomania.
mythomania as pathology
In simple terms, a mythomaniac is a compulsive liar, and within the medical field, this psychological disorder is called fantastic pseudology.
The person who suffers from it makes a habit of lying, and uses it in search of all kinds of benefits.
In general, this behavior is accompanied by existential complexes, for which lying helps to disguise them. The mythomaniac seeks to get attention, respect, admiration, and any other attribute that makes him feel special and appreciated by others.
Mythomania acts in an addictive and progressive way, as the individual sees results in his actions, he increases his degree by lying, distorting reality.
Avoiding problems and maintaining a false harmony is also another drive for the mythomaniac.
Those who suffer from this disorder express lies spontaneously, and generally do not seek to generate scams motivated by interests such as money.
It is only an impulsive response that they handle as a defense, to appear that they have control over everything.
How to identify a mythomaniac?
It is not so difficult to discover a liar, since sooner or later the truth appears, but how do you know if someone has a much more serious problem, in terms of lies?. Pay attention to the following features and you will quickly spot it.
anxious behavior
Anxiety is manifested mostly at the time of lying, but in their natural state, they generally have anxious and accelerated attitudes, since their mind is always thinking of articulating false facts.
admiration quest
Every event that happens to the mythomaniac is magnified and altered to make it seem more interesting and appealing. Whenever they tell a story of something that happened to them, even if it's very simple, they present it as something fantastic, where they are the protagonists.
At the other end of the scale, they can also present themselves as the victims, to generate empathy and consideration for them.
lie unnecessarily
The habit becomes so strong that although they do not require lying, they still do it, and this ranges from the simplest things to the most relevant. They can even misrepresent their economic position or their state of health, just on impulse when responding.
They have low self-esteem
The vast majority of mythomaniacs consider themselves inferior or undervalued. This is precisely what drives them to use lies, as a means to seek acceptance.
Many of them struggle with depressive symptoms and negative thoughts, which are not evident thanks to the fact that they even manage to lie about their mood.
They find it hard to relate
They are not very good at socializing, they are often introverted, but as the problem progresses they gain confidence in their ability to lie.
This helps them establish relationships based on lies and a false image of themselves.
They are very detailed when speaking
When they tell a story, whether they position themselves as the victim or the hero, they tend to be very expressive with the details to seek to increase credibility.
This fact often leads them to inadvertently change the versions of their stories.
Causes of the disorder
There are many factors that have been associated with the appearance of this problem, some of the most common being psychological conflicts such as:
Low self esteem.
Depression.
Lack of security.
Disagreement with the reality in which one lives.
On the other hand, a scientific analysis has shown that those who have this problem have a greater increase in white matter in the frontal lobe of the brain. Therefore, their disinhibition is much higher and their moral concern when lying is much lower.
There are also some diseases that, in some cases, accompany the person suffering from the problem, such as epilepsy.
Also, if you have suffered from any trauma during childhood or adolescence, this could be a trigger for this disease.
Consequences and risks of mythomania
Like any other disorder, this one also has a margin of danger for those who suffer from it, and in this case it is quite high. From there, I show you the conflicts that mythomania causes.
Rejection and loss of trust
The mythomaniac is a liar, but it does not mean that he is good at lying in all cases, so often many realize his deceptions and tend to reject him. This behavior makes him very unreliable in many scenarios.
Keep in mind that the rejection is initially born in your family circle, spreading to the other spheres where you have influence.
This could even cost you your job, if you use lies as a means to justify your irresponsibility or to manipulate benefits in your favor.
Depression
When the lies are well elaborated and believed for a long time, at the moment they are discovered, they can make those affected act in a very hostile way against the mythomaniac. These can lead you to the point of being humiliated and despised for your actions.
The fact can throw him into a strong depressive picture, moved by his guilt and the rejection of those whom he harmed.
Legal issues
One of the most dangerous aspects of this evil is the fact that the mythomaniac does not measure the magnitude of his lies. This can cause problems involving legal entities.
In their pursuit of profit, they can create false stories about assault, robbery, abuse, and many other actions, leading to police intervention.
Keep in mind that the mythomaniac does not control his ability to lie, so he does not evaluate how much his lies affect others.
Medical problems
In this case there are two extremes. On the one hand, there are those who fake an illness to get attention, but who ignore other pathologies that they may be suffering from, just in order to maintain the lie.
And at the other extreme, there are those who suffer from a pathology, but deny it to appear to be well.
Both cases are extremely dangerous and very harmful to their health, since apart from the problem they already have with mythomania, they delay attention to other physical failures.
This conflict is not at all something simple that should be ignored, if you know someone close to you who suffers from it, you should try to take him to an appointment with a psychologist, since not only he is at risk, but also all the people who turn in your enviroment.
