Why Patients Lie: Non-Pathological Fibs and Deception Syndromes in the Hospital Setting

Authors

Scott R. Beach, MD, Harvard Medical School
Nicholas Kontos, MD, FACLP, Massachusetts General Hospital

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

3-12-2025

Comments

Presentation: 1:05:08

Abstract

Everybody Lies!

- Deception is a pervasive, normal and ubiquitous social behavior

- Especially common in interactions with healthcare providers, in part because of power differential

- Non-Pathologic Reasons for Lying

• Fear/Anxiety
• Shame/Stigma
• Desire to be Liked

- Forms of Deception

• Lying
• Minimization of symptoms
• Exaggeration of symptoms
• Distortion of truth
• Intentional omission of facts
• False imputation of symptoms

Recommended Citation

Beach, MD, Scott R. and Kontos, MD, FACLP, Nicholas, "Why Patients Lie: Non-Pathological Fibs and Deception Syndromes in the Hospital Setting" (2025). Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Grand Rounds. Paper 105.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/phbgr/105

Language

English