A Fundamental Guide To Factitious Disorder

Factitious disorder - previously known as Munchausen’s syndrome - is a troublesome mental illness recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The afflicted individual deceives others into believing they, or someone else, are ill by appearing sick, injuring themselves or others, or by purposely falling sick. It is not the same thing as telling a lie about being ill to stay home from work or to avoid other obligations. Individuals who have factitious disorder may know they are causing their symptoms, but they may not understand why or recognize the situation as a serious problem.

Types Of Factitious Disorder

There are two major types of factitious disorder: imposed on the self and imposed on another person. Factitious disorder imposed on the self-occurs when the individual in question fabricates or exaggerates symptoms they are personally experiencing, self-injures, and purposely gets themselves sick. Factitious disorder imposed on another person is often called factitious disorder by proxy, formerly known as Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy.

Individuals with this type fabricate the symptoms on another person in their care, most commonly a mother harming her child to receive attention. Though this is the most common, fathers can be affected, as can individuals working with the elderly or individuals with disabilities, or even pet owners. With factitious disorder by proxy, the diagnosis is not given to the person with the physical symptoms, the victim, but rather the person who is causing them harm.