Which disorder involves feigning illness in order to receive attention and sympathy?

Which disorder involves feigning illness in order to receive attention and sympathy?

• A. Facitious disorder
• B. Malingering
• C. Illness anxiety disorder
• D. Somatic symptom disorder

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is intentional deception to take on the sick role. In factitious disorder, a person deliberately produces or feigns physical or psychological symptoms not for external rewards, but to assume the role of a patient and to receive attention, care, and sympathy from others. This motivation differentiates it from similar conditions. Malingering, by contrast, involves feigning symptoms for tangible external benefits such as monetary gain, avoiding work, or obtaining drugs, so the primary goal is different. Illness anxiety disorder is about excessive worry about having or developing a serious illness, typically with few or no genuine symptoms and no deception. Somatic symptom disorder features genuine physical symptoms that are distressing and accompanied by excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors about the symptoms, but it does not involve deliberately feigning symptoms. So, feigning illness to gain attention and sympathy aligns with factitious disorder.

The essential idea is intentional deception to take on the sick role. In factitious disorder, a person deliberately produces or feigns physical or psychological symptoms not for external rewards, but to assume the role of a patient and to receive attention, care, and sympathy from others. This motivation differentiates it from similar conditions.

Malingering, by contrast, involves feigning symptoms for tangible external benefits such as monetary gain, avoiding work, or obtaining drugs, so the primary goal is different. Illness anxiety disorder is about excessive worry about having or developing a serious illness, typically with few or no genuine symptoms and no deception. Somatic symptom disorder features genuine physical symptoms that are distressing and accompanied by excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors about the symptoms, but it does not involve deliberately feigning symptoms.

So, feigning illness to gain attention and sympathy aligns with factitious disorder.