Frierson Richard L, Joshi Kaustubh G
Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 3555 Harden Street Ext., Suite 301, Columbia, SC.
J Forensic Sci. 2018 May;63(3):976-979. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.13616. Epub 2017 Aug 15.
Pseudologia fantastica, a psychological phenomenon that has been described in the literature for at least a century, is an understudied and poorly understood entity. Sometimes referred to as pathological lying, pseudologia fantastica involves disproportionate fabrication that may be present for many years or a lifetime. In a forensic context, it can significantly complicate the evaluation of capacity to stand trial and, in certain jurisdictions, criminal responsibility. We review the current literature regarding pseudologia fantastica and present a case to highlight the clinical and forensic challenges it may create. We specifically discuss the complications that pseudologia fantastica may have on the assessment of a defendant's rational ability to consult with an attorney, a required element of capacity to stand trial. In addition, we discuss the implications of pseudologia fantastica in the evaluation of criminal responsibility.
虚构症是一种在文献中至少已被描述了一个世纪的心理现象，是一个研究不足且了解甚少的实体。虚构症有时被称为病理性说谎，涉及过度编造，这种情况可能会持续多年或一生。在法医背景下，它会使对受审能力的评估显著复杂化，并且在某些司法管辖区，还会影响刑事责任的判定。我们回顾了关于虚构症的当前文献，并呈现一个案例以突出它可能带来的临床和法医方面的挑战。我们特别讨论了虚构症可能给评估被告与律师协商的理性能力（这是受审能力的一个必要要素）带来的复杂情况。此外，我们还讨论了虚构症在刑事责任评估中的影响。
