Which of the following are common non-medical management strategies for FDIA?

• A. Multidisciplinary team involvement, safety planning, psychotherapy for caregiver, and ensuring a supportive environment for dependent
• B. Increased pharmacotherapy and aggressive diagnostic testing
• C. Isolation of the patient from the caregiver and family
• D. Relying solely on a single medical specialty for management

Answer: (A)

FDIA is best managed through safety and psychosocial strategies rather than medical interventions. The main idea is to protect the dependent while addressing the caregiver’s behavior and underlying factors. A multidisciplinary team involvement ensures coordinated assessment and protection across pediatrics, psychiatry/psychology, social work, and child protective services, so risks are identified and managed from multiple angles. Safety planning is essential to prevent further harm and to establish clear steps if the situation worsens. Psychotherapy for the caregiver targets underlying psychological issues, stressors, or dynamics that drive fabricating or inducing illness, which helps reduce the inappropriate behavior over time. Creating and maintaining a supportive environment for the dependent helps minimize reinforcement of the deceptive behavior and supports the child’s recovery. In contrast, approaches that emphasize more medical testing or pharmacotherapy, isolating the patient from the caregiver, or relying on a single specialty fail to address the crucial safety, caregiver pathology, and coordinated psychosocial care that FDIA requires.