Psychiatr. praxi. 2021;22(1):41-46 | DOI: 10.36290/psy.2021.006

Factitious disorder: overview and case report

MUDr. Martin Hýža, Ph.D.^{1, 2}, Mgr. Jan Vantuch¹, MUDr. Petr Šilhán, Ph.D.^{1, 2}

¹ Oddělení psychiatrické, Fakultní nemocnice Ostrava

² Katedra klinických neurověd, LF Ostravské univerzity, Ostrava

Factitious disorder (FD) belongs to the group of mental disorders in which the somatic symptoms prevail in the clinical picture. The exact data regarding prevalence are missing but in serious courses extreme amounts of resources from the health care system are wasted and the disorder may have lethal termination because of complications. The occurrence of a subtype of FD imposed on another, most often children (formerly "by proxy"), is alarming. The diagnosis is logically difficult, the clear guidelines for different medical specialities are missing and there is no thorough education in the characteristics of the disorder. Even after a proper diagnosis is established, further follow up of a patient is very difficult with a low rate of successful outcomes. In the following text we point out this neglected disorder; the symptoms and differential diagnosis are demonstrated in a case report.

Keywords: factitious disorder, malingering, differential diagnosis, case report.

Published: April 15, 2021  Show citation