reality vs fantasy

I have a close friend that I've known for over 20 years that I believe suffers from some type of disorder where he cannot differentiate between reality and stories he makes up in his head. He's a normal, functioning adult but when he speaks about past experiences his versions of stories change dramatically and become more exaggerated over time. He did two uneventful tours in Iraq with the Army 10 years ago and I know nothing significant happened because he told me each time he got back that he never saw combat. Every year since then he has new, crazy stories that supposedly happened while he was over there. Now he speaks of witnessing a little girl executed and of soldiers being kidnapped from the base. Crazy stuff that obviously never happened but he speaks of them in detail and with passion. He suffers from PTSD over these memories that never actually happened. It's not just his Iraq deployments, he does this with everything. I've known him since we were 15 and he's always been like this but he seems to be getting worse. He's already seeing a therapist over his PTSD but I believe he needs to see a psychiatrist and be medicated. What could be wrong with him? How do you convince someone that their memories are made up?

Hello fluid11: Honestly, I don't have answers to your questions. You wrote that your friend sees a therapist. I think it simply has to be left to your friend, & his therapist, to figure out what is going on with him. Why did Brian Williams throw his network news anchor position with NBC away with his stories of his time spent covering the wars in Iraq? Some people just seem to have an uncontrollable need to be seen as more than they are. It's not your job to try to convince your friend that his stories are fiction.

I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral… from the Skeezyks! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

PsychCentral is a great place to get information as well as support for mental health issues. There are many knowledgeable & caring members here. The more you post, & reply to other members’ posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are social groups you can join & chat rooms where you’ll be able to connect with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) Lots of great stuff! So please keep posting!

Hi Skeezyks, I believe there's a difference between Bryan Williams intentionally lying and my friends false story telling. Williams lied for personal benefit, it was a big news story to tell. My friend, on the other hand, I don't think is lying and truly believes the stories he tells are true. The reason this is a problem is because he claims to have a serious case of PTSD (Post Tramatic Stress Syndrome) from things that never happened. I was wondering if there's some type of disorder where people can't differentiate reality from their imagination. I'm not sure if his therapist is even aware that he's like this. You'd have to know him for awhile and listen to how his stories dramatically change to realize this.