Factitious disorder imposed on self

Factitious disorder imposed on self is a mental health condition. A person with this condition pretends to be sick, makes themself sick, or injures themself to get attention. Factitious disorder is sometimes called Munchausen syndrome.

The person may:

Claim that they have symptoms, when none exist.
Produce false test results, such as by sticking a thermometer in hot water to mimic a fever or by putting bacteria or something else in laboratory test samples.
Self-inflict injuries, such as cutting the skin.
Create symptoms, such as causing vomiting by taking medicine.
Say that symptoms are worse than they really are, such as claiming to have severe pain or bleeding when a milder condition is actually present.
Request surgical procedures.

Treatment primarily consists of counseling to prevent the affected person from further self-harm and to stop providing unnecessary and potentially harmful medical treatment.

The Health Encyclopedia contains general health information. Not all treatments or services described are covered benefits for Kaiser Permanente members or offered as services by Kaiser Permanente. For a list of covered benefits, please refer to your Evidence of Coverage or Summary Plan Description. For recommended treatments, please consult with your health care provider.