A factitious disorder is a mental illness in which a person exaggerates or makes up an illness or injury. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) identifies four types of factitious disorders:
A factitious disorder may be confused with another type of mental disorder called
. If a person has somatoform disorder, though, he is not pretending to be sick. The person really believes that there is something physically wrong with him. But, the symptoms are actually due to psychological issues.
is an example of a somatoform disorder. Someone who has hypochondria fears that a real or imagined minor physical symptom is a sign of serious illness.
A factitious disorder is also different from
. Malingering occurs when a person is pretending to be sick for some kind of clear benefit, like money, food, or housing.
Receiving Medical Treatment
People with factitious disorder seek unnecessary medical treatment.
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The exact cause is not known. But, it may be a combination of biological and psychological factors. Some possible causes may include:
These risk factors increase your chance of factitious disorder:
Symptoms may include:
It is really difficult for a doctor to diagnosis a factitious disorder. People who have this disorder become very skillful in pretending to have illnesses. The doctor also has to rule out any real physical condition that the person may have.
If the doctor determines that there is no physical cause for the symptoms, then the person may be referred to a mental health expert. This expert can then rule out other psychological conditions, like somatoform disorder and malingering. The person, though, may become hostile and not want to work with a psychologist. But, there are strategies that the doctor can use to act in a way that is more supportive and helpful for the person, encouraging him to seek mental health treatment.
Factitious disorder is difficult to treat because the person may resist getting help. In some cases, though, the person may agree to work with a mental health expert. Psychotherapy or behavior therapy may be helpful. Also, if the person has any other conditions, like
, these can be treated, as well.
There is no known way to this disorder.
American Psychological Associationhttp://www.apa.org/
Canadian Psychiatric Associationhttp://www.cpa-apc.org/
Canadian Psychological Associationhttp://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/home.asp/
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