Factitious psychological symptoms are defined in DSM-III as symptoms
that are under the patient's voluntary control. Using specific criteria for
the presence of voluntary control, the authors identified a cohort of 9
patients with factitious psychotic symptoms from among 219 patients
consecutively admitted to a research ward for psychotic disorders. The
phenomenology and family history of the patients suggested that they were a
homogeneous group. All had similar DSM-III personality disorders, and most
had a remarkably poor long-term outcome.Abstract Teaser