Factitious disorder

Factitious disorder, which is sometimes called Munchausen syndrome, is where an individual fabricates or exaggerates physical or psychological symptoms because they enjoy being in the “sick role”.

These symptoms are sometimes faked, but may also be induced, for example a person might take something to cause themselves to vomiting.

Factitious disorder is listed in the DSM 5- the 5th edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental illnesses, as a somatic symptom disorder.

But unlike other disorders in that group, individuals don’t experience any symptoms, nor are they concerned that they will develop any symptoms.

Factitious disorder can happen as a single episode, but generally individuals have recurrent hospitalizations, and are very knowledgeable about the symptoms they are trying to pass off as real.

Individuals with factitious disorder are generally motivated by the attention and sympathy that they receive when pretending to be sick.

These motivations are often subconscious, which is to say that individuals often don’t even realize why they fabricate their symptoms.

Importantly, individuals with this disorder are usually not faking their symptoms for money, time off of work, access to medications, or any other obvious external reward, if this were the case it’d be a psychological condition known as malingering.

A related diagnosis is ‘factitious disorder imposed on another’ which is also called factitious disorder by proxy or Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

In this form of the disorder, one person deliberately makes a second person ill without his or her knowledge. Once again, the motivation is to vicariously experience the sick role, rather than to cause harm to that second person out of malice.

This second individual is then falsely presented as being ill, impaired, or injured to the healthcare system. Often this is done to someone that they are responsible for, like a child, an elderly family member, or even a pet.

For example, a person might deliberately poison the individual and then call for help when they start vomiting. However it’s done, the second person, the one who is sick, is not complicit in the deception.

In other words, they’re not aware that their symptoms are being caused by the first person, so it’s the first person, the perpetrator, who receives this diagnosis.

Now, there’s no known treatment for factitious disorder, but family therapy is often helpful in helping them understand the illness and the motivations underlying it.

In cases where a second individual in their care is being harmed, that child, spouse, or elder is separated completely from the person with the diagnosis.

The individuals who are being harmed not only have to be treated for the illness or injuries that were induced, but also for the emotional trauma that has taken place.

All right, as a quick recap, factitious disorder and factitious disorder imposed on another are conditions that are characterized by a person fabricating or induces medical symptoms on themselves or someone in their care in an effort to get the attention and sympathy that is often given to someone who is sick.

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