Q&A for How to Spot a Pathological Liar

If you have a friend that keeps lying and coming back around, ask yourself why it's important that you be friends with this person. What do you feel that you are getting out of the relationship, and what are you worried about losing? This will help you decide what to do about your friendship.

If your “friends” are believing only one person without hearing the truth from you or your side of the story, then they probably were not the best type of friends to have around in the first place. Make an honest attempt to reach out to your friends and tell them how you feel. Explain to them from your own perspective what the truth is. You will quickly learn the true colors of those people who choose to believe you and stick around on your behalf, and those who you may just need to let go.

Just like any other person who may be a pathological liar, you personally cannot change who they are. However, as a parent you can speak to your adult child in as respectful way as possible and express your concerns. Plant the seed for self awareness, and offer up helpful mental health resources in your area. As a grown child of yours, it is up to them to be fully responsible and accountable for their actions. If it is to the point where it is disrupting you and others in the family, and other relationships are derailing, then perhaps you need to set clear boundaries with them as to what is and is not acceptable

These mental health disorders are all part of the same group of disorders according to the manual that mental health professionals use to diagnose people. This book is called the DSM-5. This group of mental health disorders includes narcissistic, antisocial, histrionic, and borderline personality disorders. Sociopathic behaviors fall under antisocial disorders. If you'd like to compare the symptoms needed for a diagnosis, you can look up the different disorders in the DSM-5 and compare them.

Confront the person honestly, respectfully, and openly about your suspicions of his/her lying. Ultimately it is their responsibility to change their ways. However, you can be of support to guide them to healthy appropriate mental health resources if they are ready to accept and make a change for the better.

I'd advise you to reach out to your human resources department or a counselor. If your workplace has an Employee Assistance Program, they will likely be able to provide you with some counsel and resources to reach out to a qualified mental health professional who could help you. In the meantime, try to avoid this individual as much as you can. Out of sight, out of mind.

Any type of manipulation toward another person is not the best of approach and should be avoided. You cannot MAKE another person change or do something at your will.

The best way to stop being a pathological liar is to work with a qualified mental health professional. Try to find a counselor or therapist to help you learn the right coping skills to overcome this behavior.

You need to look out for your best interest. It is understandable that this is a distressing situation since she is currently not at the ready state to even make a change, or taking responsibility for her own actions. At times we have to let people go, and experience the challenges of life on their own, and until she is accepting of her issues with drug addiction and taking accountability for it, she will not make any change. You will need to learn the difference between truly helping someone and enabling (which will only encourage them to spiral down into the rabbit hole). Seek out the assistance of a support group, or a mental health and addictions counselor to get appropriate coping skills for your current situation.

Let the courts decide that based on the evidence.