PETER REICH, M. D.; LILI A. GOTTFRIED, M.D.
To obtain an overview of factitious disorders in hospitalized patients we surveyed the cases found in our hospital during a 10-year period. Forty-one disorders were identified including one that was fatal and others that were chronic, severe, and life-threatening. The disorders fell into four subgroups: self-induced infections, simulated illnesses, chronic wounds, and surreptitious selfmedication. These subgroups had implications for prognosis and management. The patients included 39 women and 2 men, average age 33 years, 28 working in medical jobs. With three possible exceptions, none of the patients had Munchausen's syndrome and were not malingerers or sociopaths. Most of these patients
REICH P, GOTTFRIED LA. Factitious Disorders in a Teaching Hospital. Ann Intern Med. 1983;99:240–247. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-99-2-240
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Published: Ann Intern Med. 1983;99(2):240-247.
DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-99-2-240
Hospital Medicine.
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