Factitious Disorders in Neurology: An Analysis of Reported Cases

TY - JOUR

T1 - Factitious Disorders in Neurology: An Analysis of Reported Cases

AU - Kanaan, Richard A. A.

AU - Wessely, Simon C.

PY - 2010/1

Y1 - 2010/1

N2 - 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. (Psychosomatics 2010; 51: 47-54)

AB - 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. (Psychosomatics 2010; 51: 47-54)

M3 - Article

VL - 51

SP - 47

EP - 54

JO - Psychosomatics

JF - Psychosomatics

IS - 1

ER -