to trick them into telling you the truth

Researchers from Harvard Medical School found repeating the same seemingly trivial questions at erratic intervals in the style of the TV sleuth Columbo (pictured) made people away vital details.

The 'Columbo Method' is named after the LAPD sleuth played by Peter Falk
Columbo repeats the same, seemingly trivial, questions at erratic intervals
Technique involves using casual questions to to get the person talking openly


Fans of the shambling LAPD sleuth Columbo, played by the late Peter Falk (pictured), will be familiar at how he gets his suspects to expose their guilt.

If you have a feeling someone is lying to you the 'Columbo Method' named after the shambling LAPD sleuth played by the late Peter Falk could find out the truth once and for all, claim psychiatrists.
It is a tactic that should particularly be used by doctors to tell if patients are lying but could easily apply to anyone suspicious of what someone is telling them.
Fans of the TV detective will be familiar at how he gets his suspects to expose their guilt by pretending to be stupid and asking casual questions to get them talking openly.


Columbo repeats the same, seemingly trivial, questions at erratic intervals often while pretending to be dumb or forgetful, luring the murderer into making a mistake or giving away a tiny but vital detail.
It is a formula that has made the US-made series so familiar to both older viewers who remember the original or millions of new fans who have seen the constantly-repeated episodes on TV.
But it is also the best way for professionals to get to the truth, particularly doctors treating deceitful patients, said the report by psychiatrists from the respected Harvard Medical School.
Writing for the specialist journal Psychosomatics, lead researcher Scott Beach MD from Harvard Medical School said patients lied to doctors for several reasons.
This varied from those who lie about how much alcohol they drink or exercise to those who make up symptoms they have read about because they need attention.
For those dealing with mental illness, some patients downplay symptoms for fear they will be sectioned or suffer what they see as the stigma of being labelled with a mental illness.

Dr Beach said: 'For patients who are suspected to be exaggerating symptoms, the Columbo method, named for the television detective played by Peter Falk, can be a particularly useful strategy.
'This technique employs both repeated, temporally separated questioning about specific details in an effort to detect inconsistencies in the history, as well as gentle confrontation facilitated by the interviewer's own portrayal of naiveté.'

For instance, he explained, it could be possible to gently chide the patient for inconsistencies in their consultations such as someone who blames the death of his brother for his own depression.
Dr Beach said: 'One might ask in a curious way, 'I just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly.
'It sounds like you are tremendously broken up about your brother's recent death, but I notice in the records that your brother also died in 2006, 2008, 2011 and last year.
'Were these different brothers?'
The study is part of a large scale training programme being devised to help trainee mental health professionals determine whether or not patients are deceiving them.
'By presenting this as a gentle question and aligning with the patient to help the interviewer make sense of the story, while at the same time acknowledging the patient's stress, the interviewer may convey to the patient the absurdity of his ruse', Dr Beach said.

HOW TO USE THE COLUMBO METHOD
Use casual questions to to get the other person talking openly.
Dress shabby clothes and use peculiar body language. This will give the impression you are harmless.
Be confusing when you talk - this will suggest you are incompetent.
Always be friendly and welcoming despite potential threats.
Use meaningless chatter to distract the person you are talking to and lull them into a false sense of security.
When they are relaxed enough, slip in the question you want to know.
This tactic, particularly used by doctors to tell if patients are lying, could easily apply to anyone suspicious of what someone is telling them.

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