Why does my friend tell so many crazy lies? Is this a disorder?

Question

This is kind of long, but I'm really curious and a bit concerned about this.
     
     So I have a friend who tells these, shall we call them, "stories". She says really personal things about herself and others that in small doses might be believable, but with the amount of things she says just ends up sounding very contrived. For example, she told me a girl at school we both knew had AIDS. Another girl we knew got pregnant while she was away in Europe, and then broke her leg (when she returned, her leg was neither broken nor was she pregnant, and my friend said she'd miscarried). 

     My friend also said, about herself, that she had a really rare blood disease that was going to kill her in her early 20s (she's 20 now, and still alive), but her blood made it impossible for her to catch AIDS. She apparently has around 18 half-brothers from her dad (I've been to her parents' place, and there was absolutely no evidence of this). She was impregnated by her boyfriend, who then promptly dumped her (he confronted me about this and said that it was a complete lie, and I have more reason to believe him than her; and after 5 months or so, she still didn't look pregnant at all. It's been over a year and she doesn't have any baby, and she's never mentioned it since). Now apparently she's getting married to someone else. She also has an implant in her arm from a former job where she worked that can track her by satellite.

     There are smaller things she says too, things that I'm pretty sure are scientifically impossible, or at the least, improbable. For example, she and some of her friends jumped off the top of a tall waterfall into a very small pool no deeper than six feet and surrounded by many rocks - a jump that would likely kill you. She added an entire box of laundry detergent to the washer in the basement (apparently she'd never done laundry before and didn't know any better) and the suds went all the way to the second floor.

     The list goes on and on and on. So what do you think? I suppose all of this is possible, but based on how much she says, and the evidence (or lack thereof), it seems like all of this is made up, or at least most of it. Could this be caused by some type of disorder? Or does she just like the attention? She’s a really nice person, and when she’s not telling these “stories” she’s fun to be around. 

     I’ve met both her parents too, and there seems to be no signs of abuse (although I know sometimes these things aren’t always obvious). So what’s up with this?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The implant caught my attention. That is one of the most common schizophrenic fantasies. Having some sort of chip/implant that tracks you and therefore makes you paranoid. 

She either is a compulsive liar or cannot tell reality from fanatsy/hallucination. I do not know her so I could not say whether or not she is or is not schizophrenic. 

All I know is what I learned from dating a guy who was pretty severely schizophrenic. After the relationship ended badly I did a little research and realized what he was lying about. He had made up friends who were allegedly so wonderful and awesome, who did not actually exist. He thought things had happened between us that never had. He thought he had a medical disorder, which does not actually exist. 

So it is possible that she is not lying, she may just be telling you what she knows. 

Or she could just flat out be a compulsive liar. I do not know much about compulsive lying, but my best guess would be that she does like the attention or may be possibly trying to cover something up. 

Or it could be a combination. It is really hard to say without knowing her and without any sort of psychiatric evaluation. 

My advice, leave it alone. She doesn't seem like a very healthy person to be around. Whatever her problem may be, it does not sound like it would be a good idea to get to involved. Just speaking from experience. 

Best wishes!

? · Answer

It's called mythomania - compulsively telling lies. It is a disorder and the person usually can't help it.

DivinePath · Answer

Well, if she were a child, I would give you a different answer..lots of kids make up stories, but she is not a child, and her lies are ridiculous.
Two ideas: Her life is so dull and borning, she takes pleasure from making up stories.
or she really believes what she tells, and is what is called"delusional".
(this can very often happen when a person is falling into mental illness, and it can often continue).
Perhaps,(without mentioning mental illness), you can have a real heart to heart talk with her, to find her real feelings on this.
She could be a compulsive liar, but I have my doubts, based on what you have written here.
If this is just attention seeking, boring life lies, find this out, and tell her it's better to have a boring life than make up stories that people see are not true..she gains nothing from this behaviour, and decieving others might be a bit of a thrill for a moment, but not long term.
I truly hope you can get to the root of this matter, and go on with your friendship.
Happy New Year!

NYGirl_2012 · Answer

It sounds like she's a pathological liar.  People with this disorder cannot help themselves, they always need to keep the drama going and can be quite convincing.   When caught in those stories (lies), most people with this condition will just create bigger, bolder lies instead of fessing up.  If you continue to be her friend you'll have to accept that this is what she does and know the difference between the truth and lies.  Getting a person with this illness to seek professional mental help is very difficult so tread lightly if you ever confront her on this matter.

Joseph the Second · Answer

-She sounds like a "Pathological Liar..." And as FAR as Anyone can Tell, SHE can't help doing it, -& there is No Cure for it, either...  So You either just have to learn To "Take Her as She IS", -or cut Her "loose", & Move On...

? · Answer

HAHA! That's awesome. Yeah, I've got no idea. Seems like she just likes attention. :)

? · Answer

Its simple, shes stupid and she wants attention.

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Why does my friend tell so many crazy lies? Is this a disorder?

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