{"id":2311,"date":"2022-10-16T10:55:44","date_gmt":"2022-10-16T17:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truthorlie.com\/?p=2311"},"modified":"2022-10-16T10:55:44","modified_gmt":"2022-10-16T17:55:44","slug":"medical-conditions-affect-polygraph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truthorlie.com\/medical-conditions-affect-polygraph\/","title":{"rendered":"These Medical Conditions Affect a Polygraph"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A lie detector machine cannot directly tell whether or not you are lying. What it does is monitor physiologic changes in you that can be associated with being deceitful. And then the polygraph examiner collects and evaluates the readings and decides whether the examinee passes or fails the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, there are certain things that can mess up those physiologic processes that a polygraph machine monitors. Some of them have something to do with the mental or physical health of the examinee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is all about medical conditions that can have an effect on the result of your lie detector test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having one of the things I will discuss below requires you to inform the examiner of its presence as well as any medications you are taking for it before the polygraph test is administered<\/a>. In some instances, you may be strongly advised against undergoing it as the result may only wind up inconclusive or a false positive or a false negative<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Hypertension<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Hypertension\"
Hypertension<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to WHO, you have high blood pressure or hypertension if your everyday blood pressure reading consists of a systolic blood pressure reading (the top number) of 140 mmHg or higher and a diastolic blood pressure reading (the bottom number) of 90 mmHg or higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a couple of things about hypertension that can affect a polygraph test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, it can keep your blood pressure readings elevated while you are strapped to the lie detector machine \u2014 spikes in the blood pressure are some of the things that a polygraph examiner looks for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hypertension should not really interfere with a polygraph result since you will have a different blood pressure when being truthful and being deceitful. The problem, however, comes in when the examination is administered by an incompetent examiner who fails to consider that you are suffering from high blood pressure when reading the chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are taking medications in order to put your hypertension in check, your blood pressure tends to be lower. It’s also not unlikely for your heart rate, which is another thing that a lie detector machine checks, to be slower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone who is guilty and taking blood pressure drugs may have a false negative polygraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental Illness<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few mental illnesses that can affect the result of a lie detector exam, making an individual appear guilty when he or she is not or even seem innocent when he or she is guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Anxiety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What makes it possible for a polygraph machine to do its job is its ability to pick up physiologic changes when a person is stating lies. Although this allows it to be accurate anywhere from 80% to 90% of the time<\/a>, it’s also something that can cause it to yield an error when the examinee is suffering from anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lie detector test machine is sensitive to changes in your body if you are trying to be dishonest \u2014 knowing for yourself you are lying can make you feel nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having anxiety can make you on edge most of the time, whether or not you are undergoing a polygraph exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most instances, the intake of anti-anxiety drugs can make matters worse. The presence of their active ingredients in the examinee’s system can cause complete relaxation. So much so that his or her vitals practically stay the same even when being deceitful, which would otherwise cause someone else to feel stressed and nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be a problem if the individual who is undergoing a lie detector examination is completely guilty as there is a possibility for the result to be a false negative \u2014 bye-bye, accusations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Depression<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Depression\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When the mind is depressed, the body tends to be depressed, too. As a matter of fact, European medical literature<\/a> says that it’s not uncommon for people with depression to have low blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suffering from depression can make you lose interest in the things that would otherwise make you feel happy and excited. And this can leave you physically inactive, which can cause your blood pressure reading to be lower than normal. It can also cause low heart and respiratory rates and well as reduced sweating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some instances, all of these things can be blamed on the intake of certain antidepressants such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n