Factitious Disorder: Symptoms and Treatment

Factitious disorder is a serious mental condition where sufferers deceive others by appearing sick, purposely getting sick, or injuring themselves. It also occurs when family members or caregivers falsely present others, such as children, as being ill, injured, or impaired. Symptoms can range from mild (slight exaggeration of symptoms) to severe (previously called Munchausen syndrome).  The sufferer may make up symptoms or even tamper with medical tests to convince others that they need treatment. They might even claim that they need a high-risk surgery. Factitious disorder isn’t the same as inventing medical problems for practical benefits, such as getting out of…