FACTITIOUS DISORDER

Fliege H, Grimm A, Eckhardt-Henn A, et al. Frequency of ICD-10 factitious disorder: survey of senior hospital consultants and physicians in private practice. Psychosomatics. 2007;48:60-64.

Based on physicians' observations and experience, researchers in Germany estimated that 1.3% of patients have factitious disorder. This estimate was based on data from a physician questionnaire rather than the usual method of collecting data from case studies. The medical specialties of the physicians who participated included internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, and neurology. Dermatologists reported the highest mean prevalence of factitious disorder at 2%, followed by neurologists at 1.3%.

The reported 1-year prevalence of factitious disorder ranged from 0.0001% to 15%. The signs, symptoms, or behaviors that reportedly occur most often with factitious disorder are mechanical manipulation of the skin (57%), open lesions or injuries to the skin (54%), demonstration or statement of pain (49%), complication of wound healing (42%), chemical manipulation of the skin (30%), and demonstration or statement of other alarming symptoms (30%).