What is the name of the disorder in which a person intentionally fabricates symptoms?

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Multiple Choice

What is the name of the disorder in which a person intentionally fabricates symptoms?

The defining idea is deliberately fabricating symptoms to assume the sick role. This is Factitious Disorder, where someone intentionally feigns or induces physical or psychological symptoms without clear external rewards. The motivation is internal—seeking attention, care, or the sick role—rather than gaining something tangible. That distinguishes it from malingering, where the person feigns symptoms for external benefits like money, avoidance of work, or legal advantages. Other disorders involve real symptoms or excessive worry about illness, not deliberate fabrication. In rare or historical discussions, you might hear the older term Munchausen syndrome, but the essential feature remains intentional symptom production for the sick role.

The defining idea is deliberately fabricating symptoms to assume the sick role. This is Factitious Disorder, where someone intentionally feigns or induces physical or psychological symptoms without clear external rewards. The motivation is internal—seeking attention, care, or the sick role—rather than gaining something tangible. That distinguishes it from malingering, where the person feigns symptoms for external benefits like money, avoidance of work, or legal advantages. Other disorders involve real symptoms or excessive worry about illness, not deliberate fabrication. In rare or historical discussions, you might hear the older term Munchausen syndrome, but the essential feature remains intentional symptom production for the sick role.

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