Factitious disorder - Essay Example

This is because in malingering, the subjects have a purpose for their false portrayal of disease which is either to gain financial support or to overcome legal problems. Factitious disorder is a psychological problem which is difficult to diagnose and the treatment of this condition is a challenging issue for the clinical practitioners (Jaghab et al., 2006; Grover et al., 2005). Factitious disorder has been known to be present since second A.D. but the first official case of the condition was put forward by Gellengerg in the year 1977.

Another term which has been coined for this condition is Munchausen's syndrome but this term is restricted for the description of chronic factitious disorder. Patients who suffer from factitious disorder wish to be in the hospital and treated and hence they are sometimes referred to as “hospital vagrants” or “hospital hoboes.” This condition poses a burden on the healthcare system and it has been estimated in the United States that this condition causes an annual waste of funds of $40 million owing to the wide range of diagnostic tests that are run on these patients (Jaghab et al., 2006). Factitious disorder is known to account for up to 5 percent of the patients who visit the clinical practitioners (Savino & Fordtran, 2006). . On the other hand, patients with chronic factitious disorder are mainly single men and who do not have strong family relations.

Also it is mainly seen that mothers of young children are responsible for the induction of factitious disorder in their children. It is also seen that this disorder may be seen children who are only 8 years (Jaghab et al., 2006). The underlying causes that lead to factitious disorder have not determined exactly as most of the patients do not come again to the hospital after discharge. A genetic link with chronic factitious disorder has been proposed by the usage of magnetic resonance imaging.

Child abuse, low self-confidence, guilt and self-remorse as well as depression and personality disorder have been suggested as some of the reasons leading to this condition (Jaghab et al., 2006). The physical symptoms that are presented and self-produced by patients of factitious disorder include urine contaminated with feces, factitious blood in urine and cough, respiratory symptoms, stones in the kidney, low blood sugar, diarrhea as well as fever of unknown origin. Symptoms that are presented by patients of factitious disorder in the neuromedicine department include seizures and attacks of paralysis.

Mostly the patients of factitious disorder have both psychological as well as physical symptoms. In cases where patients present only with psychiatric problems, their symptoms mainly include social withdrawal and difficulty in developing relations (Savino & Fordtran, 2006). The diagnostic strategy of factitious disorder that has been put forward by DSM-IV-TR includes three main principles. The first point is that the patient should be presenting with false