Explore Over 11,000+ Conditions, Medications, and Symptoms.

Get a personalized feed by signing up for free.

Malingerer

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

General

Malingering is the fabrication, feigning, or exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms designed to achieve a desired outcome, such as relief from duty or work. Malingering is not a medical diagnosis but may be recorded as a "focus of clinical attention" or a "reason for contact with health services ." Malingering is distinct from other forms of excessive illness behavior, such as somatization disorder and factitious disorder, although not all mental health professionals agree with this formulation.

3 people with Malingerer

Learn from others who are experiencing Malingerer.

statistic

Signs & symptoms

Malingering doesn’t have specific symptoms. Instead, it is suspected when someone suddenly starts having physical or psychological symptoms while: - being involved with a civil or criminal legal action - facing the possibility of military combat duty - not cooperating with a doctor’s examination or recommendations - describing symptoms as being much more intense than what a doctor’s exam reveals

Diagnosis

Malingering is a medical diagnosis, but not a psychological condition. It’s often hard to diagnose because doctors don’t want to overlook any actual physical or psychological conditions. Diagnosis usually includes physical examination and open-ended interviews to understand a person physical and mental health. This interview will cover how a person’s symptoms impact their daily life. A doctor will also try to get a timeline of any behavioral, emotional, or social events. They may do a follow-up exam to check for inconsistencies between someone’s description of their symptoms and what the doctor finds during an exam. If a doctor concludes that someone is likely malingering, they may reach out to their other doctors, family members, friends, or co-workers for more information about their health.

Treatment

Treatment includes: - Behavioral therapy - Psychotherapy - Counseling

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Alike Wisdom

Instantly get answers to medical questions with our AI, built from the collective wisdom of our community facing similar experiences

pp-logo

Alike is a transformative platform that goes beyond just bringing together patients; it meticulously connects individuals based on multiple critical factors, such as age, gender, comorbidities, medications, diet, and more, fostering a community of knowledge, support and empathy.

appStoreBtngooglePlayBtn

© 2020-2024 Alike, Inc