Factitious post traumatic stress disorder: a case report

A 24-year-old man presented with a convincing history of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He claimed to be the victim of a widely publicized 'human bomb' attack by the IRA in Northern Ireland when he was serving with the armed forces. Psychometric tests for PTSD confirmed his symptoms. A subsequent check of public and military records demonstrated that he was a serviceman at that time, but showed conclusively that he could not have been present at the terrorist incident.