Date of Presentation
5-5-2022 12:00 AM
College
School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
Factitious disorder superimposed on self (FDIS) was first described in 1951by Richard Asher, who associated the disorder with Baron Munchhausen, who narrated unrealistic and exaggerated stories about his life.
Suspicion for FDIS should be raised when patients with atypical presentations of medical disorders seek excessive use of healthcare services despite ongoing lack of clinical evidence. Patients with FDIS often demand hospitalization for their symptoms, leading to unnecessary tests and treatments. These patients show signs of pathological lying, deceitfulness, are obstinate with medical staff, and display erratic behavior. When medical investigation does not support their symptoms, patients often develop new “symptoms” or “disease”, and often exhibit symptoms only when they are being observed.
FDIS is a diagnosis of exclusion, therefore other disorders with similar presentations must be considered. One of these conditions is somatic symptom disorder (SSD). When FDIS is recognized by providers, it often leads to countertransference, frustration, and unwillingness for follow-up treatment by the provider. These patients deny falsifying symptoms and fail to acknowledge the presence of this mental illness. This further perpetuates a pattern of excessive hospitalizations or consultations when the patient’s demands aren’t met.
Keywords
Factitious Disorders, Case Reports, Somatoform Disorders, Mental Disorders
Disciplines
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms | Diagnosis | Emergency Medicine | Medicine and Health Sciences | Mental Disorders | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychiatry | Psychological Phenomena and Processes
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Diagnosis Commons, Emergency Medicine Commons, Mental Disorders Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons, Psychiatry Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons
An Interesting Case of Factitious Disorder Superimposed on Self: Factitious Disorder vs Somatic Symptom Disorder
Factitious disorder superimposed on self (FDIS) was first described in 1951by Richard Asher, who associated the disorder with Baron Munchhausen, who narrated unrealistic and exaggerated stories about his life.
Suspicion for FDIS should be raised when patients with atypical presentations of medical disorders seek excessive use of healthcare services despite ongoing lack of clinical evidence. Patients with FDIS often demand hospitalization for their symptoms, leading to unnecessary tests and treatments. These patients show signs of pathological lying, deceitfulness, are obstinate with medical staff, and display erratic behavior. When medical investigation does not support their symptoms, patients often develop new “symptoms” or “disease”, and often exhibit symptoms only when they are being observed.
FDIS is a diagnosis of exclusion, therefore other disorders with similar presentations must be considered. One of these conditions is somatic symptom disorder (SSD). When FDIS is recognized by providers, it often leads to countertransference, frustration, and unwillingness for follow-up treatment by the provider. These patients deny falsifying symptoms and fail to acknowledge the presence of this mental illness. This further perpetuates a pattern of excessive hospitalizations or consultations when the patient’s demands aren’t met.