Pathological Liar Symptoms

'Dr. Judy' Doubts Casey Anthony's Penchant for Lying Can Be Cured

Casey Anthony's lawyers have said that Anthony has suffered "trauma" and will need counseling now that she is a free woman, but experts aren't sure Anthony can be helped.

"It would be exceptionally difficult for anybody to treat her. There is no magic pill that's a truth serum for a person who's a pathological liar," said Judy Kuriansky a psychologist from Columbia University, but better known from her radio show as Dr. Judy.

Kuriansky believes that Anthony likely feels that she has been rewarded for her lying with her acquittal and release from jail.

"Why would she want to go to therapy when she basically got what she wanted? There's no motivation for her to seek help," Kuriansky said. "If she had been sent to jail, maybe she would want to see somebody because her style didn't work, but it did."

Anthony, 25, is in hiding after being released from a Florida jail following her acquittal on murder charges for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. She has received death threats and as she left jail protesters chanted "Caylee, Caylee."

Casey Anthony Therapy Will Be 'Challenge'

Anthony's criminal lawyer Jose Baez has said, "It is my hope that Casey Anthony can receive the counselling and treatment she needs to move forward with the rest of her life."

Her civil attorney Charles Greene was quoted as saying Anthony was "emotionally unstable" following the trauma of her daughter's death and the grueling trial.

Psychologists interviewed by ABCNews.com agree that the desire to change is the key to successful treatment for pathological liars, which some believe Anthony may be.

Casey Anthony Verdict in Pictures

While acquitted of murder, she was convicted on four counts of lying to police. One of her lies was that Caylee was kidnapped by a fictional nanny named Zanny. Zanny was one of a dozen bogus characters that Casey had created. She also lied about working at Universal Studios.

None of the psychologists who spoke with ABCNews.com have treated Casey Anthony, but spoke from observations and personal experience.

Two of the potential issues Anthony could suffer from are borderline personality disorder and psychopathology, the experts said. The main thing these issues have in common is a total lack of empathy, according to LeslieBeth Wish, a psychologist and licensed social worker in Sarasota, Fla.

"They can turn a person into a non-person," Wish said. "Borderline personalities have more emotional regulation problem and often use lying to get away from something and not ever feeling like they're responsible.

Pathological Liar Symptoms?

Its a hard case to answer, as all said where truth is and the lies begin can be blurred between his own understanding of his lies and his own understanding of reality. if i was speaking to him personally i would suggest therapy, and i don't mean that in an offensive way, but continuous lying will only further him to believe the situation he has already placed himself in. as you, the friend, i would suggest playing to the side of him that still holds morals to telling the truth. usually in cases of pathological lying there is a hidden pleasure in creating more lies to cover up the revealed ones so be careful of this. ask for proof, this will result in an offended reaction, maybe even violent so be prepared. I would go with the girlfriend and ask for the proof or the relationship ends, receiving a positive gain (the girlfriend) for a negative action (the lies) will only further his lying. you will need a strong will to go through with it, and especially make sure the girlfriend is of strong will as well. but most importantly, even if you dont want to, you have to make sure he knows that both of you will still be his friend even after he admits the truth, and not to hold any anger when he does. this may be hard, but if he sees that you are going to snap at him, the whole process is impossible.

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