Often we will find that Munchausen and related medical deceptions are often accompanied by self-aggrandizing lies (pseudologia fantastica) as appears the case with a 49 year-old photographer in Adelaide, South Australia named Melissa Williams-Brown.
Pseudologia Fantastica
Pseudologia Fantastica is a disorder wherein the person tells lies incessantly. It is usually encountered in forensic practice in those accused of fraud, swindling, making false accusations or false claims. Introduction Lying is nearly a universal human phenomenon. It may even be part of normal development and individuation. There is no precise definition of pathological lying but we can define pathological liar as a person who tells lies incessantly. Everybody tells lies in order to avoid certain unpleasant situations, but those who tell lies consistently, whether faced with punishment or not, may be considered pathological.
In Pseudologia fantastica (pathological lying), the person creates a whole new identity by creating a mesh of fantastic lies. Some clinicians use the term “inventive paranoia” for both pathological liars and deluded subjects. In the latest DSM, deluded or psychotic subjects were not considered as pathological liars. Other related terms used are Manchausen’s Syndrome and feigned bereavement. Whilst the pathological liar feels pleasure after committing the act, this pleasure is short lived, only to be followed by the humiliation of being treated as a liar.
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| Melissa Williams-Brown often trolls medical support groups and posts copies of her narcotic prescriptions in a bid to convince people she is very ill. |
Pathological lying is usually encountered in forensic practice in those accused of fraud, swindling, making false accusations or false confessions. Such frauds are often flamboyant unlike the furtive and carefully planned dishonesty of the more typical fraud. Their lies are rarely aimed at excusing their offences, but more frequently, at attracting notice and inflating their importance.
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| False claims of college degrees and elaborate lies in engagement announcement to her third husband |
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| George Washington University: We have no record of her attendance |
Case Report – Melissa Williams-Brown, a self-described “photographer and adventurer”
Here we present the case of
Melissa Williams-Brown, a 49-year old woman from Adelaide in South Australia, who presented with symptomatology typical of pathological lying combined with Factitious Disorder and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.
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Melissa Williams-Brown has a 20-year history of falsifying resumes and academic fraud.
South Australia Police launch criminal investigation of Melissa Williams-Brown for identity theft and cybercrime offences
Melissa Williams-Brown used forged consent forms to steal private records from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Melissa Williams-Brown posed as an employer conducting background checks in order to illegally obtain educational records and private information from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Officials say Williams-Brown used forged consent forms and posed as an employer conducting background checks to illegally obtain protected educational records and other personal data from the National Student Clearinghouse, a government agency affiliated with the United States Department of Education (DOE).