Rss feedFactitious disorders
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PubMed: Literature search on factitious disorders
With this link you can search PubMed for articles on the keywords "factitious disorders", "Munchhausen", "malingering", "Ganser syndrome", " pseudodementia" and "pseudopsychosis".
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Feldman's Munchausen Syndrome, Factitious Disorder & Munchausen by Proxy page, Dr. Marc
Many links to factitious disorder (by proxy).
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eMedicine: Munchausen Syndrome (1)
Extensive clinical internet publication about factitious disorder.
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eMedicine: Munchausen Syndrome (2)
Extensive clinical internet publication, co-authored by Dr Marc Feldman, who has for many years maintained an informative website with links (see above).
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eMedicine: Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy
Extensive clinical internet publication about factitious disorder by proxy.
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Merck Manual, The: Munchausen syndrome
Internet publication which provides a short description of diagnosis and treatment.
More about factictious disorderstop
Factictious disorders are characterised by physical or psychological complaints or symptoms that are deliberately produced or feigned, with the intent of assuming the social role of an invalid.
It is distinguished from malingering on the basis of motive: in malingering, the complaints or symptoms are also deliberately produced or feigned, but the objective is personal gain. As a rule the objective in malingering patients is obvious and patients can "stop" the symptoms whenever they are no longer useful.
Factictious disorder is also known in the literature as Munchhausen's syndrome.
A variant of factictious disorder is factictious disorder 'by proxy' or Munchhausen's syndrome by proxy. In this disorder, the manufacture or feigning of complaints and symptoms involves another person entrusted to the patient's care. The patient's objective is the same.
Factictious disorder (by proxy) is related to somataform disorders, which also involve patients with a physical presentation which cannot be attributed to a physical illness. In contrast to somatoform disorder, in factictious disorder the symptoms are organised and acted out.
The DSM-IV has chosen to present factictious disorder (by proxy) as a separate chapter.