Feigned psychosis - a case of factitious disorder

A number of psychiatric syndromes are characterised by the conscious or unconscious production of factitious symptoms. These include Munchausen Syndrome,^1,2,3 the Ganser Syndrome⁴ and malingering. Here we describe a patient who rapidly changed her symptomatology according to material from her environment. Her presentation does not meet criteria for any of the above syndromes, but is best described as a factitious disorder (DSM-III-R).⁵ This case provides a framework for discussion of the validity of this concept.