Behavioral Science

Somatoform Disorders 123
What is the primary characteristic
of factitious disorder by proxy?
Who is the most common
perpetrator seen in factitious
disorder by proxy?
What is the treatment for factitious
disorder by proxy?
Intentional simulation of illness in
another person
A parent (most often a mother) often
stimulating illness in her child
Same as in factitious disorder, however,
if a child is involved, the case should be
managed as child abuse and reported to
the appropriate agencies.
MALINGERING
What is the primary characteristic
of malingering?
How is malingering different from
factitious disorder?
What are common scenarios in which
malingering is often seen?
Which gender is most prevalent
in malingering?
What is Ganser syndrome?
In what populations is Ganser
syndrome most commonly seen?
Intentional production of symptoms for
secondary gain
The goal of malingering is to obtain a
concrete or material gain.
Individuals wanting to avoid jail time
or military recruitment, seeking financial
compensation, etc
Males
A variant of malingering in which
patients give ridiculous answers to
questions in order to avoid
responsibility for their actions
Prison inmates
CLINICAL VIGNETTES
A 71-year-old man comes to your office for evaluation of a right foot paralysis. He
complains that he is unable to move his right foot ever since he was involved in a
car accident, during which he was driving and the teenaged passenger of the other
vehicle was seriously injured. His neurologic examination is normal. What is the
most likely diagnosis?
Conversion disorder. Note the stressful event, normal neurologic examination,
and the fact that it is his driving foot that is affected.