Is this just another lie?

[vegasmom]

My daughter has a history of lying. She has lied about things that she would get in less trouble about if she had told the truth. She even continues to lie after she knows we know she is lying. Recently her boyfriend confided in me that she has been hearing voices. When I brought it up to my mom, my mother said she recalled a time shortly after my grandmother passed away (my daughter and grandma were very close) and my daughter was about 5 yrs old, and my daughter told my mom that she wished the voices would just be quiet.
Well now, according to my daughter these voices are back.

We are looking into the voices by seeing a psychiatrist and having test done. I have also come across emails and stories where my daughter says she is a cutter and has been for a long time. She even told the psychologist this as well. I have never seen any kind of cuts on her anywhere and neither has her sister. Other than a kitchen knife and a razor to shave her legs, she has not had access to anything that she could cut herself with. She also tells her friends that she is Anorexic and she is not she is always snacking on something in fact I have been a little concerned about her weight lately. And now She has also all of a sudden come up with a story that my husband (her step-dad) was inappropriate with her.

According to my daughter, this incident with her step dad happened in May or June 2011 but she is just now telling me and her sister (who she tells everything to and is very close to) about it, There has been no change in her relationship with her step dad, it seems that she enjoys spending time with him and so on. The only change I have noticed is the relationship between her stepsister (my current husband’s daughter) and my daughter has dissolved. I am not sure why because they had always hung out together and gotten along as if they were blood sisters. They are 1-year difference in age and her stepsister started attending the same school last year.

I have never had any concerns about my husband’s relationship with my daughters and I find it hard to believe that if something happened like my daughter says that my daughter would still watch movies and wrestle around and hang out with my husband like nothing happened. I do not want to say this is a lie… because I don’t know…
Does this behavior seem normal if indeed what my daughter says happened really did?

[Mike Bradley]

Dear Mom,
It appears that your daughter's abberant behaviors preceed the date when she claims the abuse occurred, and it sounds as if she's had/is having psychotic symptoms before and after the alleged abuse. This would lessen the odds that what your daughter claims is true. Nevertheless, you need to check with your State laws about obligations to report such allegations to not put yourselves in a bad position. A fast chat with an attorney would be a good idea since often it goes best if the accused perpetrator is the one to call the child protection authorities on himself, requesting an investigation in a controlled fashion versus someone else "calling the cops" on your husband.
Beyond that, she clearly needs a thorough psychiatric workup to figure out what the heck is going on.
Please act quickly, and good luck.