factitious disorder
noun
Paul R. LindeNote: Individuals with factitious disorder may use different methods to induce, simulate, or fake the symptoms of disease or injury including ingesting various substances (such as vitamins, minerals, or drugs) to produce symptoms, physically injuring themselves, feigning physical disease symptoms, contaminating diagnostic specimens, or tampering with medical records. Factitious disorder typically involves self-imposed actions and the disorder may also be referred to as factitious disorder imposed on self or especially formerly as Munchausen syndrome. Less frequently, a person's actions are directed towards inducing symptoms in another individual (usually the person's child). In these cases, the disorder is typically referred to as factitious disorder imposed on another or especially formerly as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Examples of factitious disorder in a Sentence
Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2024
Spanning eight episodes, The Act recounts the events leading up to the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard (Patricia Arquette), in 2015, a case intertwined with allegations of abuse and factitious disorder.
—EW.com, 27 May 2024
According to the Mayo Clinic, a factitious disorder is a mental disorder when someone purposely makes themselves or someone else sick.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
However, at its core, imposing factitious disorder is a criminal act.
—Vlad Velicu, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024
The woman is not unusual among factitious disorder cases, the doctors note.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 28 Apr. 2023
What Is Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy? Munchausen by proxy is essentially Munchausen syndrome or factitious disorder imposed on another.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2023
Munchausen syndrome, also known as factitious disorder, is a chronic mental health disorder where individuals pretend to be sick by lying or exaggerating their symptoms.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near factitious disorder
Cite this Entry
“Factitious disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factitious%20disorder. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
factitious disorder
nounMohammad Jefferany et al., The Primary Care Companion for CNS DisordersMelanie Hirsch, The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York)Note: Individuals with factitious disorder may use different methods to induce, simulate, or fake the symptoms of disease or injury including ingesting various substances (such as vitamins, minerals, or drugs) to produce symptoms, physically injuring themselves, feigning physical disease symptoms, contaminating diagnostic specimens, or tampering with medical records. Factitious disorder typically involves self-imposed actions and the disorder may also be referred to as factitious disorder imposed on self or especially formerly as Munchausen syndrome. Less frequently, a person's actions are directed towards inducing symptoms in another individual (usually the person's child). In these cases, the disorder is typically referred to as factitious disorder imposed on another or especially formerly as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
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