Factitious Disorder – Symptoms and Causes

Overview

Factitious disorder is a mental health condition where people fake or cause their own illness to gain medical attention. This condition, once known as Munchausen syndrome, involves deliberately pretending to be sick when no actual illness exists.

People with this disorder may:

• Fake symptoms
• Make themselves sick on purpose
• Injure themselves
• Tamper with medical tests

The condition can also occur when someone falsely presents another person (often a child) as being ill or impaired. This variation is particularly concerning because it puts vulnerable individuals at risk.

Some people may exaggerate minor symptoms while others go to extreme lengths, even pursuing unnecessary and dangerous medical procedures.

Signs and Symptoms

When Someone Fakes Illness in Themselves or Others

People with factitious disorder try to appear sick, make themselves sick, or hurt themselves on purpose.

They may fake symptoms, pretend symptoms are worse than they are, or claim they can’t do certain activities due to illness. They work hard to hide their deception.

This serious mental health condition involves continuing the lies even when there’s no benefit or when faced with evidence against their claims.

Common signs include:

• Complex and believable health problems
• Detailed knowledge of medical terms
• Unclear symptoms that don’t match known patterns
• Conditions that worsen without clear reason
• Illnesses that don’t respond to standard treatments
• Seeking care from many doctors or hospitals, sometimes using fake names
• Refusing to let doctors talk to family members
• Frequent hospital stays
• Wanting many tests or risky procedures
• Many surgical scars
• Few visitors in the hospital
• Fighting with healthcare staff

Harming Others by Faking Their Illness

This form of factitious disorder happens when someone falsely claims another person has symptoms or actually causes injury or disease in someone else to trick others.

In these cases, a person presents someone else (often a child) as sick, injured, or unable to function normally. They claim the victim needs medical care.

This abuse puts victims at risk of harm from unnecessary medical treatments or direct injury.

Parents who harm their children this way may seem very caring and concerned in medical settings. They often form close relationships with medical staff while continuing to harm their child when no one is watching.

Ways People Fake or Cause Illness

People with factitious disorder become experts at faking symptoms, making it difficult for doctors and family members to know what’s real. They use several methods:

• Exaggerating Real Problems: Even when they have an actual condition, they make symptoms seem much worse. They might act sicker or more disabled than they truly are.
• Creating False Medical Histories: They tell doctors, family, or support groups they’ve had serious diseases like cancer or AIDS. Some even create fake medical records to support their claims.
• Pretending To Have Symptoms: They might fake:
  • Stomach pain
  • Seizures
  • Fainting spells
  • Dizziness
  • Chest pain
• Self-Injury Methods:
  • Injecting harmful substances under their skin
  • Cutting or burning themselves
  • Taking medications to create symptoms
  • Preventing wounds from healing
  • Creating infections in existing wounds
• Tampering with tests: They might:
  • Heat thermometers to fake fever
  • Add blood or other substances to urine samples
  • Manipulate medical equipment to get abnormal results

When Medical Help Is Needed

People with this disorder may understand they risk serious injury or death, but they struggle to control their behavior. Most won’t seek help on their own.

Even when shown proof of their actions, like video evidence, they often deny it and refuse mental health treatment.

If you think someone you care about might be faking or causing illness:

• Try talking to them calmly about your concerns
• Avoid anger, judgment, or confrontation
• Focus on encouraging healthier activities rather than criticizing unhealthy behaviors
• Offer support and help in finding treatment

For Emergencies:

If someone is harming themselves, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Child Protection:

If you suspect a caregiver is harming a child as part of factitious disorder, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.

Medical Professionals Should Be Alert For:

• Symptoms that only appear when the patient knows they’re being observed
• Test results that don’t match the patient’s apparent condition
• Unlikely or impossible combinations of symptoms
• Dramatic or textbook presentations of unusual conditions

Causes

The exact reason for factitious disorder remains unclear. A combination of psychological problems and difficult life events likely play a role in developing this condition.

Mental health challenges mixed with personal stress can create situations where a person might fake or create illness symptoms.

Risk Factors

Several factors might increase someone’s chance of developing factitious disorder:

• Childhood trauma (emotional, physical, or sexual abuse)
• Serious illness during childhood
• Loss of a loved one or feelings of abandonment
• Previous positive experiences with medical attention
• Poor self-identity or low self-esteem
• Personality disorders
• Depression
• Strong desire to connect with healthcare providers
• Working in healthcare

The exact frequency of factitious disorder remains unknown. This condition is difficult to track because affected individuals often use false identities, visit multiple healthcare facilities, or remain undiagnosed.

These behaviors make it challenging for medical professionals to determine how many people truly suffer from this disorder.

Complications

People with factitious disorder put themselves in danger to appear ill. They often struggle with additional mental health issues, which leads to several possible complications:

• Physical harm or death from self-inflicted medical conditions
• Health problems from unnecessary infections, surgeries, or medical procedures
• Loss of body parts due to unneeded surgical interventions
• Substance abuse issues involving alcohol or drugs
• Social and work difficulties, including relationship problems and trouble maintaining employment

When this behavior is forced onto others, it becomes a form of abuse. The risks are serious and can affect many aspects of a person’s life.

Preventing Factitious Disorder

The exact cause of factitious disorder remains unknown. This makes it difficult to establish specific prevention strategies.

Early recognition and proper treatment are key approaches. They can help avoid unnecessary and potentially harmful medical procedures.

Healthcare providers who identify signs of the disorder quickly can prevent patients from undergoing risky tests and treatments they don’t actually need.