Richard A A Kanaan1, Simon C Wessely. 1. Institute of Psychiatry, Dept. of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, P062, Weston Education Centre, London SE5 9RJ. r.kanaan@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Factitious disorder (FD) is the deliberate production or simulation of symptoms in order to adopt the sick role. OBJECTIVE: The authors look at FD in the neurology setting. METHOD: The authors examined documented, published cases. RESULTS: FD cases in neurology are strikingly different from those in other specialties in terms of their demographics. Whereas the paradigm of FD in medicine as a whole is of the socially stable female healthcare worker, neurology continues to report largely the classic itinerant "Munchausen's" type. DISCUSSION: The authors explore two possible explanations for this: either that female healthcare workers with FD do not present neurologically, or that, if they do, they are diagnosed with conversion disorder.
BACKGROUND:Factitious disorder (FD) is the deliberate production or simulation of symptoms in order to adopt the sick role. OBJECTIVE: The authors look at FD in the neurology setting. METHOD: The authors examined documented, published cases. RESULTS:FD cases in neurology are strikingly different from those in other specialties in terms of their demographics. Whereas the paradigm of FD in medicine as a whole is of the socially stable female healthcare worker, neurology continues to report largely the classic itinerant "Munchausen's" type. DISCUSSION: The authors explore two possible explanations for this: either that female healthcare workers with FD do not present neurologically, or that, if they do, they are diagnosed with conversion disorder.