Which statement differentiates Factitious Disorder from Malingering?

• A. Factitious Disorder involves deception to obtain external rewards.
• B. Malingering involves deception for internal psychological gain.
• C. Factitious Disorder involves deception for external incentives.
• D. Factitious Disorder involves intentionally falsifying or inducing symptoms to assume the sick role for internal psychological gain.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is the motivation behind the deception. In Factitious Disorder, the person intentionally falsifies or induces symptoms to take on the sick role and receive care, attention, and psychological relief from being seen as ill—an internal, self-driven need. In contrast, Malingering involves deception to obtain external benefits, like money, medications, avoiding work, or other tangible rewards. So the statement that Factitious Disorder involves deception for internal psychological gain best captures this distinction. The other descriptions mix up where the incentive lies, attributing external rewards to Factitious Disorder or internal gain to Malingering. A helpful example is someone fabricating symptoms to be hospitalized for attention, not to receive a concrete external payoff.