Factitious disorder

Overview Factitious disorder is a serious mental disorder in which someone deceives others by appearing sick, by purposely getting sick or by self-injury. Factitious disorder also can happen when family members or caregivers falsely present others, such as children, as being ill, injured or impaired. Factitious disorder symptoms can range from mild (slight exaggeration of symptoms) to severe (previously called Munchausen syndrome). The person may make up symptoms or even tamper with medical tests to convince others that treatment, such as high-risk surgery, is needed. Factitious disorder is not the same as inventing medical problems for practical benefit, such as getting out of work or winning a lawsuit. Although people with factitious disorder know they are causing their symptoms or illnesses, they may not understand the reasons for their behaviors or recognize themselves as having a problem. Factitious disorder is challenging to identify and hard to treat. However, medical and psychiatric help are critical for preventing serious injury and even death caused by the self-harm typical of this disorder. Symptoms Factitious disorder symptoms involve mimicking or producing illness or injury or exaggerating symptoms or impairment to deceive others. People with the disorder go to great lengths to hide their deception, so it may be difficult to realize that their symptoms are actually part of a serious mental health disorder. They continue with the deception, even without receivi...

Overview What is factitious disorder? Factitious disorder is a serious mental health disorder in which a person appears sick or produces physical or mental illness. People with factitious disorder deliberately produce symptoms of an illness for the purpose of receiving care and attention in a medical setting. The symptoms aren’t intended to get them practical benefits — the gain is believed to be mainly psychological. Factitious disorder is considered a mental illness. It’s associated with severe emotional difficulties and patients’ likelihood of harming themselves by continuing to produce more symptoms, resulting in getting themselves unnecessary procedures and surgeries. What are the types of factitious disorder? Factitious disorders are of two types: • Factitious disorder imposed on self: This type includes the falsifying of psychological or physical signs or symptoms. An example of a psychological factitious disorder is mimicking behavior that is typical of a mental illness, such as schizophrenia. The person may appear confused, make absurd statements, and report hallucinations (the experience of sensing things that are not there; for example, hearing voices). • Factitious disorder imposed on another: People with this disorder produce or fabricate symptoms of illness in others under their care: children, elderly adults, disabled persons or pets. It most often occurs in mothers (although it can occur in fathers) who intentionally harm their children in order to receive ...

Factitious disorder imposed on self was previously called Munchausen syndrome. Factitious disorder may also be imposed on someone else (see Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another Factitious disorder imposed on another is falsifying or producing symptoms of a physical or psychologic disorder in another person. It is usually done by caregivers (typically parents) to someone... read more and Overview of Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders Somatic symptom and related disorders are mental health disorders characterized by an intense focus on physical (somatic) symptoms that causes significant distress and/or interferes with daily... read more ). People with factitious disorder imposed on self repeatedly fake having a disorder. If they have a disorder, they exaggerate or lie about the symptoms, pretending that they are sicker or more impaired than they are. However, this disorder is more complex than simple dishonesty. It is a mental health problem that is associated with severe emotional difficulties. What causes factitious disorder imposed on self is unknown, but stress and a severe personality disorder, most often Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Borderline personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in relationships, self-image, moods, and behavior and hypersensitivity to possible rejection and abandonment... read more , may be involved. People may have an early history of emotional and physical abuse, or they may have experienced a sev...

Munchausen syndrome, named for Baron von Munchausen, an 18th-century German officer who was known for embellishing the stories of his life and experiences, is the most severe type of factitious disorder. Most of the symptoms in people with Munchausen syndrome are related to physical illness -- symptoms such as NOTE: Although Munchausen syndrome usually refers to a factitious disorder with mostly physical symptoms, the term is sometimes used to refer to factitious disorders in general. In this article, Munchausen syndrome refers to the type of factitious disorder with mostly physical symptoms. What Are the Symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome? People with Munchausen syndrome deliberately produce or exaggerate symptoms in several ways. They may lie about or fake symptoms, hurt themselves to bring on symptoms, or alter tests (such as contaminating a urine sample). Possible warning signs of Munchausen syndrome include: • Dramatic but inconsistent medical history • Unclear symptoms that are not controllable and that become more severe or change once treatment has begun • Predictable relapses following improvement in the condition • Extensive knowledge of hospitals and/or medical terminology, as well as the textbook descriptions of illnesses • Presence of multiple surgical scars • Appearance of new or additional symptoms following negative test results • Presence of symptoms only when the patient is with others or being observed • Willingness or eagerness to have medical tests, opera...