Q&A for How to Deal With a Liar

If you catch your partner in a lie, let them know what you observed, then share how you feel about it and make a request for how you'd like them to handle the situation in the future. If it's a really big lie, though, it might be beneficial to go to couples therapy so you can work through the betrayal or distrust and heal that wound in the relationship.

You need to get him completely out of your life. His behavior is toxic to you and you don't need that. It will hurt, but you have to do it for your own good.

You should talk to him about it, explain how he's making you feel, and tell him that you need to be honest with each other. If he doesn't change his behavior, break up with him. It doesn't sound like he cares about you very much, and it's not worth being with someone like that.

Next time she lies, tell her you know it isn't true and ask her why she said that. Tell her you still want to be friends but find it difficult because she lies.

If this is a habit, it is probably best that you seek counseling. You will start to lose close friends when they discover your bad habit.

Distance yourself from him after you confront him about the lies.

Most people tend to lie because they're embarrassed or ashamed of the truth. Often, the truth implicates them in something that will get them in trouble. Some people also have mental disorders that actually cause them to lie compulsively.

If they refuse to believe the truth, do your best to have as little to do with them as possible. You don't need people like that in your life.

Distance yourself as much as you can. When you can't do this physically, you can do it mentally by not really listening to or playing into his lies.

You have to take serious action as some people can be very dangerous. You have to decide if you want to put up with his behaviour or not. The best thing to do is divorce him, or file a police complaint.

Apologize and tell her how you will change your behavior, then do it! It may take time to rebuild trust, so be patient.

Write down the lies and ask her to explain herself.

First, make sure she has in fact told a lie, and that you're not just listening to gossip. Once you're sure, talk to her, and tell her how you feel about it. Friendships are very precious, and you want to save this one if at all possible.

Talk to her about her lies and why she tells them.

Get your child in to see a child psychologist. Look out for other people that may be influencing this behavior and separate him or her from them.

This is not your battle and could be dangerous. Tell the person from a safe distance that you can no longer tolerate the lies, and frankly, you are afraid for your safety and believe they need help. That's all you can do.

You friend is probably hiding something embarrassing from you, or is scared to tell you something. Try talking to your friend about it and see what's going on. Offer to help, if you can.

He is lying to please you. Smoking is a seriously addictive habit. Let him know how it feels that he has been lying to you. If you are concerned about his health, ask him what options he has considered to try quitting.

No. If you have evidence that they're lying you can confront them with it, but they will ultimately have to choose whether or not to come clean.

You may not be able to, but the best thing to do is talk to him/her. Ask (in a calm and judgment free manner) why they have been inconsistent. Use specific examples. See what they say. The problem could be anything from something going on in their personal life that you don't know about, to a mental disorder that causes them to behave inconsistently. You won't know until you ask.

Go to the police and tell them that the person is filing a false police report.

Confront the liar. Ask them why they were lying about you. Often people lie just to get attention. If your friend is a good friend, they will believe you when you tell them the truth.

Try to collect proof that he is lying and confront the teacher about it.

You can ask her why she is making up stories, or you can ignore them all together when you know she is fabricating them.

This is easily handled through professional ethics. Companies have rules for this; apply those rules. Catch the colleague in a lie, escalate it to your boss, demand an adequate response. For example "Dear [boss], it has come to my attention that [name] has said [this and that] about me. I feel this is inappropriate, inaccurate and slanderous. Please take the required measures to rectify this. When do you think I can expect your feedback? Kind regards, [your name]."

Unless you have an obligation, either financial or children with your ex, don't deal with the person at all. If you do have to deal with the person due to an obligation, keep interactions brief and minimal, and don't reveal any personal information.

It's best not to get into a "he said, she said" with a liar. Just smile and tell the person, "the truth will come out eventually" and go about your business.

Distance yourself - don't feed her lies with revenge. You can prove the truth, you can't prove lies. Sooner or later she will have the reputation that no one will trust her (as she deserves). If anyone asks what happened, tell the truth, refrain from details and just distance yourself and ignore it.

If you believe it's impacting your coworker's work or you know it's affecting yours, you should probably speak up.

Tell them that you've given them plenty of opportunities to be honest with you, but the relationship is over now. Stop taking their calls, responding to their texts, etc. Block their number if you have to. Just keep reminding yourself that, even though you love this person, they have demonstrated that they do not deserve to be in your life. It will get easier with time.