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when a person (a young girl of 20) tells lies such as friend dying in car accident or that they have severe heart problems and believes them to be true even though we know its not, is that a sign of bipolar or any other mental health issue
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Female Person's Age: 20 Already Tried: no one
Good Morning,
How long has the behavior been going on? Are there other symptoms/unusual for her behaviors present?
Bipolar disorder is a depressive disorder where a person has periods of depression followed by periods of manic behavior/mania/hypomania
If she believes these lies/stories she's telling, it may be an indication of a delusional disorder
If there are other symptoms i.e. severe depression, it may be a psychotic episode.
If she is manice, it could be due to the manic phase.
Manic
Delusional disorder consists of symptoms of non-bizarre delusions
apparantly this has been happening for a while, she very sociable but on times really hyper in the way she talks
Is there a history of mentall illness in her family?
Delusions can also manifest in those with schizophrenia. This condition is often diagnosed in someone's early 20's
her mum has been told she has mild bipolar
Each mental illness consists of multiple symptoms in order to either confrim or rule out a disorder. If this woman has had episodes of depressed mood and then manic episodes, bipolar disorder may be the cause. Or, at least cyclothymia w/ rapid cycling.
These are just speculation because a complete face to face eval is the only way to come up w/ a diganosis.
although we know she is lying she does not realise we know so how do we tackle it
Another possibility could be traits of schizotypal disorder or even due to drug use
If she does not seem to understand that she's lying, then you would want to ask her for some kind of facts or present her with tangible info to the opposite of what she's saying
you'd want to monitor her for other symptoms or changes in her mood
Determine how her lies are affecting her emotionally i.e. is she sad, indifferent, angry, etc.
It may be helpful to ask her if she is feeling unhappy/depressed and find out if she would be willing to speak to someone in order to feel better (at least to have some treatment options presented to her)
Since you were inquiring " is that a sign of bipolar or any other mental health issue?" Her behavior is not typical if she believes these lies rather than lying for some sort of gain (attention, getting something out of it-opportunistic) It may be helpful for her to see how this behavior is affecting her relationships, work, and other areas of her life.
when she lies she cuts herself off from her family,
it doesn't seem to be affecting her work or friends just her family especially her dad who cant decide how to tackle her
When someone believes their delusions, arguing w/ them that these are not real is not going to be too helpful. Instead, assisting her in seeing how it is affeting her and those around her may be a better way of addressing this. If she is avoiding her family, at least one person who she's close to would want to speak with her about what is going on. That person can let her know that they care about her and want her to be happy/healthy. What are some of these lies?
Are these lies that would affect her own family in some way?
And, is she lying only to her family or her coworkers and friends as well?
Something to keep in mind is that if there is an underlined mental disorder, its symptoms would manifest in all settings (not only amongst family situations).
she lied about being in a car accident which a friend supposidly died but we know it didnt happen yet she had bruises on her face and body
Did she get anything out of this lie?
Did she expect something?
Lying in itself when selective is most likely opportunistic. How do you determine that she believes this?
she got nothing out of it except total attention
Lying in itself woud not meet criteria for any single mental disorder unless there are other symtoms. You've mentioned her beeing hyper at times. The hyperactivity may be related to a mood disorder ex: bipolar as well as other causes -ADHD, substances/medications, etc.
Attention is a motivation for many people. Perhaps sympathy as well
If her father/family know for a fact that she is lying, they may choose to either ignore it or, present her with tangible information to the opposite
ok thank you for your help adhd is a possible cause as her brother had it when young but has now grown out of it
If she is lying to her family only and no one else, the behavior is volitional/premeditated rather than her believing her own lies.
It is always possible for a person to have ADHD even adults are diagnosed w. it
But, ADHD is not marked by deceptive behaviors - lying
You would mainly notice difficulties in concentration, attention span/memory and hyper activity
The condition is treatable w/ CBT cognitive behavioral therapy or medication both stimulant and non stimulant one
Delusions are not a symptom of ADHD or ADD
I'm going by what you're sharing and this is an educated guess about what may be behind her bahavior.
Generally, a clinician would look for symptoms, secondary gain of the client's behavior, history both hers and that of family members.
Secondary gain is usually found in what is known as Factitious Disorders.
i had an idea it was family related as her mum and dad divorced when she was 10 and she is a typical daddy girl
The behavior could be for attention as well as gaining sympathy or even punishing others by making them feel sorry for her in some way.
yes i think thats exactly what it is, thank you for your help really appreciated
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Experience: PsyD, LPC, CHt