Has telling lies been an issue?

[Phasmid]

I hate to start another thread, but this is about the last thing that I can tolerate anymore.

 

My son can't help but tell lies, it seems. He lies about dumb things... things that don't REALLY matter! An example is he will tell me he brushed his teeth, and I know that he hasn't. I feel his toothbrush... it's dry, yet he continues to insist he brushed and that the bathroom fan has dried it! (Not possible in one or two minutes).

 

What do you think- is telling lies a form of compulsion? This isn't new- going on a long time.

 

Thanks.

[peglem]

Maybe his brain has laid down a false memory of his having done it and he really cannot figure out his toothbrush is dry? When I was teaching (I know, retrospectively some of those kids had undx'd PANDAS) I saw this sometimes- but it seems like the kids were not so much lying as really convinced that their claims were true.

[Phasmid]

OMG... I never considered this!!!! He has a documented working/short term memory deficit (severe). Is it really possible that he thinks he did brush? He may have been remembering yesterday morning? Hard to believe, but if so, it would be really heartbreaking... since I told him to stop lying this morning. I can't hold my tongue anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe his brain has laid down a false memory of his having done it and he really cannot figure out his toothbrush is dry? When I was teaching (I know, retrospectively some of those kids had undx'd PANDAS) I saw this sometimes- but it seems like the kids were not so much lying as really convinced that their claims were true.

[Ozimum]

Hi Phasmid,

 

My ds lies about teeth cleaning too, and he's 16! I've been trying to work out whether this was just normal teen stuff. I've even talked about it with his psychologist and all I've ever got from him is that shoulder gesture (which means 'I really have no idea.' I get that a lot!) I agree - it's as if he really thinks he has cleaned his teeth even though the toothbrush is dry. I don't know what to think about a memory deficit... I have to think about that because it certainly is something psych and auditory testing has thrown up before. Wow! I'm gobsmacked right now.

[peglem]

I had something like this happen to me when I was in college- There was a group of 3 courses given in the same time slot over the same semester. After the final, you'd go to a bulletin board and get your score for the completed section and they'd post the location of the next section... I had a pretty stressful thing happen the day before a section final. I went the next day- looking at the bulletin board for my test score, and where to go for the next section. I had not taken the test at all, but I could remember clearly taking it, specific questions I had answered, everything. I was so confused when I went to that board (it was the same day as the test but I had missed it because I thought I'd already taken it) and the info wasn't there. I went to ask why- they said it wasn't posted yet- but I was so positive that I had finished the test and done well the day before. So, I went to the instructor (scared because how is somebody going to understand what happened, when I didn't even understand?) and told her what had happened. She was very nice about it and let me make up (retake???) the test the next day. But it was the weirdest thing- I just KNEW I had taken that test....

[Phasmid]

Sounds like this is something I really need to consider as possibility. After a while I feel like I can't discipline my son at all, since every misbehavior, infraction can be attributed to one disorder or another. I feel like I have no idea how to parent anymore. So incredibly frustrating....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had something like this happen to me when I was in college- There was a group of 3 courses given in the same time slot over the same semester. After the final, you'd go to a bulletin board and get your score for the completed section and they'd post the location of the next section... I had a pretty stressful thing happen the day before a section final. I went the next day- looking at the bulletin board for my test score, and where to go for the next section. I had not taken the test at all, but I could remember clearly taking it, specific questions I had answered, everything. I was so confused when I went to that board (it was the same day as the test but I had missed it because I thought I'd already taken it) and the info wasn't there. I went to ask why- they said it wasn't posted yet- but I was so positive that I had finished the test and done well the day before. So, I went to the instructor (scared because how is somebody going to understand what happened, when I didn't even understand?) and told her what had happened. She was very nice about it and let me make up (retake???) the test the next day. But it was the weirdest thing- I just KNEW I had taken that test....

[Bio and adopt]

I hate to start another thread, but this is about the last thing that I can tolerate anymore.

 

My son can't help but tell lies, it seems. He lies about dumb things... things that don't REALLY matter! An example is he will tell me he brushed his teeth, and I know that he hasn't. I feel his toothbrush... it's dry, yet he continues to insist he brushed and that the bathroom fan has dried it! (Not possible in one or two minutes).

 

What do you think- is telling lies a form of compulsion? This isn't new- going on a long time.

 

Thanks.

[Bio and adopt]

I hate to start another thread, but this is about the last thing that I can tolerate anymore.

 

My son can't help but tell lies, it seems. He lies about dumb things... things that don't REALLY matter! An example is he will tell me he brushed his teeth, and I know that he hasn't. I feel his toothbrush... it's dry, yet he continues to insist he brushed and that the bathroom fan has dried it! (Not possible in one or two minutes).

 

What do you think- is telling lies a form of compulsion? This isn't new- going on a long time.

 

Thanks.

 

My 20YO PANDAS daughter was famous for telling lies. She would tell lies about stuff that wasn't even important. Also everything was always someone else's fault. I do believe this was part of her PANDAS, but I never felt like it was a compulsion. If anything it was more impulsive, like telling a lie before she really thought out her answer. She made impulsive choices about most things and lies came out fast with no thought into them. She was always quick to assume the worst in every situation before she even took time to really look at the situation. She has gotten much better since she is older, although sometimes I can see that she almost answers with lie but puts a little thought into it and comes out with the truth. On the other hand my 15YO with PANDAS couldn't tell a lie if he wanted to, one of his compulsions has been telling me about everything. Somethings he had to tell me were not worth the breath he used to tell me, but he felt he had to tell. Its crazy what PANDAS can do to a child's mind.

[Phasmid]

I hate to start another thread, but this is about the last thing that I can tolerate anymore.

 

My son can't help but tell lies, it seems. He lies about dumb things... things that don't REALLY matter! An example is he will tell me he brushed his teeth, and I know that he hasn't. I feel his toothbrush... it's dry, yet he continues to insist he brushed and that the bathroom fan has dried it! (Not possible in one or two minutes).

 

Oh Gosh! Thanks...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think- is telling lies a form of compulsion? This isn't new- going on a long time.

 

Thanks.

 

My 20YO PANDAS daughter was famous for telling lies. She would tell lies about stuff that wasn't even important. Also everything was always someone else's fault. I do believe this was part of her PANDAS, but I never felt like it was a compulsion. If anything it was more impulsive, like telling a lie before she really thought out her answer. She made impulsive choices about most things and lies came out fast with no thought into them. She was always quick to assume the worst in every situation before she even took time to really look at the situation. She has gotten much better since she is older, although sometimes I can see that she almost answers with lie but puts a little thought into it and comes out with the truth. On the other hand my 15YO with PANDAS couldn't tell a lie if he wanted to, one of his compulsions has been telling me about everything. Somethings he had to tell me were not worth the breath he used to tell me, but he felt he had to tell. Its crazy what PANDAS can do to a child's mind.

[Megs_Mom]

We found that when a child knows that their behavior seems wrong or nutty, and still cannot help doing it - that they will lie to seem normal. They know what the normal thing to do is, and that explaining why they are doing the other thing will make them seem crazy. So they will NOT explain it and will make up things - sometimes to the point where they believe that their answer is the honest one. This was another area that we found ERP therapy & reading books about OCD to be SO helpful. The more she understood about what was happening in her mind, the less she felt she had to hide, and the more honest she could be.

[Priscilla]

I think this is definitely a PANDAS thing. Before my dd diagnosis, she would actually being doing something while lying about it, and on many occasions, I had told my friend that something was wrong, she just wasn't acting rational, but something in me knew it just wasn't right, it wasn't really her character to do that. Now that she is doing better, but has moments, it has become distinguishable. It is actually like a mom can distinguish her baby's cry (hungry vs. tired, vs. hurt..)

[kimballot]

We found that when a child knows that their behavior seems wrong or nutty, and still cannot help doing it - that they will lie to seem normal. They know what the normal thing to do is, and that explaining why they are doing the other thing will make them seem crazy. So they will NOT explain it and will make up things - sometimes to the point where they believe that their answer is the honest one. This was another area that we found ERP therapy & reading books about OCD to be SO helpful. The more she understood about what was happening in her mind, the less she felt she had to hide, and the more honest she could be.

I just wanted to sdd to what Meg's Mom said - wondering if he has sensory changes with exacerbations. Toothbrushing may be becoming an unpleasant experience for him.

[Phasmid]

Very helpful, all- thanks...