Factitious disorders
Key points
- A factitious disorder is one in which an individual willfully produces signs or symptoms of a medical or psychiatric illness to assume the sick role and its associated gratifications.
- This should be differentiated from somatoform disorders (which are not willful) and malingering, which is simply lying about signs or symptoms to obtain gains different from those obtained by assuming the sick role (e.g., to avoid the military or for monetary gain).
A factitious disorder is one in which an individual willfully produces signs or symptoms of a medical or psychiatric illness to assume the sick role and its associated gratifications.
This should be differentiated from somatoform disorders (which are not willful) and malingering, which is simply lying about signs or symptoms to obtain gains different from those obtained by assuming the sick role (e.g., to avoid the military or for monetary gain).
Written and revised by
Andrey Nailor, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
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