Factitious disorder (Munchausen's syndrome).

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Internal Medicine

Background:

• Factitious disorder (Munchausen syndrome) is characterized by the intentional fabrication of symptoms to seek medical care.
• It presents globally across all medical specialties and age groups, yet remains poorly understood due to research challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of current literature on factitious disorder.
• To offer guidance on the diagnosis and management of factitious disorder in general hospital settings.
• To consider related conditions like fabricated or induced illness (Munchausen syndrome by proxy).

Main Methods:

• Literature review of factitious disorder, epidemiology, etiology, and therapeutics.
• Discussion of diagnostic challenges and management strategies.
• Consideration of fabricated or induced illness.

Main Results:

• Factitious disorder is difficult to study, resulting in limited evidence on its epidemiology, causes, and treatments.
• Recognition in clinical practice is challenging, and definitive treatments are lacking.
• The article addresses diagnosis and management within a general hospital context.

Conclusions:

• Factitious disorder poses significant diagnostic and management challenges in healthcare.
• Further research is needed to understand its epidemiology and develop effective treatments.
• Guidance for general hospital settings is provided, including considerations for fabricated or induced illness.