Deliberate deception by a patient in psychotherapy is a deviation from a fundamental requirement of the patient-therapist relationship. When deceptions are discovered or admitted, it is crucial to analyze them for their value in understanding conflicts, transference relationships, and current stresses. These issues are illustrated with a case involving an elaborate deception carried out over several months by a patient in psychotherapy.
References
1.
WeinshelE.M.Some observations on not telling the truth.J Am Psychoanal Assoc1979; 27: 503–531.
2.
BlumH.P.The psychoanalytic process and analytic inference: a clinical study of lie and loss.Int J Psychoanal1983; 64: 17–33.
3.
KernbergO.Borderline conditions and pathological narcissism.New York: Jason Aronson, Inc.,1975: 201–202.
4.
KernsL.L.Falsifications in the psychiatric history: a differential diagnosis.Psychiatry1986; 49: 13–17.
5.
FordC.V., KingB.H., HollenderM.H.Lies and liars: psychiatric aspects of prevarication.Am J Psychiatry1988; 145: 554–562.
6.
FenichelO.The psychoanalytic theory of neurosis.New York: W.W. Norton & Company,1945: 528–530.
