Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:1312-1314
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Diagnostic legitimacy of factitious disorder with psychological symptoms
R Rogers, RM Bagby and N Rector
Department of Psychology, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The authors question the clinical status of factitious disorder with
psychological symptoms as a mental disorder. In particular, they argue that
unresolved issues regarding the motivational basis of this disorder and the
lack of clearly delineated inclusion, exclusion, and outcome criteria
seriously compromise its diagnostic legitimacy. Two case reports are
presented to illustrate these difficulties. Future studies should consider
these empirical and conceptual difficulties in refining the diagnosis of
factitious disorder with psychological symptoms for DSM-IV.
