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The following are regarded as indications of a Factitious Disorder: • Dramatic but inconsistent medical history. • Unclear symptoms that are not controllable and that become more severe or change once treatment has begun. • Long medical record with multiple admissions at various hospitals in different cities. • Predictable relapses following improvement in the condition. • Extensive knowledge of hospitals and/or medical terminology, as well as textbook descriptions of illness. • Frequent arguments with hospital staff or similar acting-out behaviors. • Presence of hostile, angry, disruptive, or attention-seeking behavior during hospitalization. • Fluctuations in the clinical course, including rapid development of complications or a new pathology if the initial workup findings prove negative. • Presence of many surgical scars. • Pseudologia fantastica, a Latin phrase for “uncontrollable lying,” characterized by the fantastic description of false events that never took place. • Presence of symptoms only when the patient is alone or unobserved. • Willingness or eagerness to have medical tests, operations, or other procedures. • Reluctance by the patient to allow healthcare professionals to meet with or talk to family members, friends, and prior healthcare providers. • A patient who has few visitors, despite giving a history of holding an important or prestigious job. Home | Privacy |