1- google general symptoms of the sickness and try to match them up:
with the flu season upon us, it is quite easy for kids to fake it with this sickness. however certain signs cannot be faked such as fever. if your kid doesn't have fever he's probably still functional.
2- if your son is coughing non stop and acting dizzy then he gets up and walks around the house and talks one the phone none stop with his friends then you know something is fishy.
3- if you think he's faking, try to figure out why: (problems at school? break up with the gf? exam coming up? depressed about something? certain event coming up?)
4- don't attack your child and try to understand why he would be faking in order for him to open up more for future incidents.
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Faking being ill can be attributed to 3 possible psychological disturbances:
1- Malingering:
Defined as "the purposeful production of falsely or grossly exaggerated complaints with the goal of receiving a reward". These may include money, drugs or the avoidance of punishment, work, studying etc. A malingerer behaves in/reacts to situations in a way to warrant obtaining what he/she desires.
A malingerer may attempt to raise the temperature of a thermometer through heat from a lamplight or by placing it under hot water, or alter a urine sample by adding sand to it; however, if the malingerer is more discreet, the clinician will have great difficulty gathering evidence for an accurate diagnosis. The malingerer is usually uncooperative during examination by the physician and does not comply with prescribed treatment. Consequently, malingering can lead to abuse of the medical system, with unnecessary tests being performed and time being wasted by the clinician.
Malingering can be differentiated into “pure malingering” (for a disorder that does not exist at all), “partial malingering” (for exaggeration of existing symptoms), or “false imputation” (when symptoms are attributed to a totally unrelated etiology).. A patient may fake symptoms of a specific illness, or deny the existence of the problem that may explain the symptoms. In some cases, the patient may be seeking a reward (time off school or studies, or avoiding home errands); in others, the patient may falsify their symptoms because they think that the symptoms will inevitably arise sometime in the future.
Malingering is not classified as a mental disorder.
2- Factitious disorder:
"A condition in which a person deliberately and consciously acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick."
Symptoms of a particular illness are usually created or exaggerated; individuals with this disorder may lie about or fake symptoms, harm themselves to produce symptoms, or manipulate clinical test.
Unlike malingering, people with factitious disorders have an inner need to be perceived as ill, which makes them manifest altered behavior. They do not seek to achieve a clear benefit. They are to be suspected especially in the person has the following:
-Dramatic symptoms of the supposed illness
-Inconsistencies between history and objective findings (by the Dr)
-Details that are vague and inconsistent
-Rich medical knowledge of medical terms and illness description
Factitious disorders are considered mental illnesses because they are associated with severe emotional difficulties.
3- Somatoform disorders:
This is a group of psychological disorders characterized by experiencing physical symptoms that are inconsistent with or cannot be fully explained by any underlying medical condition. They include a wide spectrum of severity, ranging from mild self-limited symptoms, such as stomachache and headache, to chronic disabling symptoms, such as seizures and paralysis. The child's symptoms become the focus. They generally interfere with daily activities at school, home, and with friends. This condition is brought about by psychosocial stress and can persist even after stress has resolved.
In order to pin down the correct diagnosis, seeking a psychologist's assistance is advised as these disorders are difficult to differentiate one from the other, let alone being diagnosed each.
1- Malingering:
Defined as "the purposeful production of falsely or grossly exaggerated complaints with the goal of receiving a reward". These may include money, drugs or the avoidance of punishment, work, studying etc. A malingerer behaves in/reacts to situations in a way to warrant obtaining what he/she desires.
A malingerer may attempt to raise the temperature of a thermometer through heat from a lamplight or by placing it under hot water, or alter a urine sample by adding sand to it; however, if the malingerer is more discreet, the clinician will have great difficulty gathering evidence for an accurate diagnosis. The malingerer is usually uncooperative during examination by the physician and does not comply with prescribed treatment. Consequently, malingering can lead to abuse of the medical system, with unnecessary tests being performed and time being wasted by the clinician.
Malingering can be differentiated into “pure malingering” (for a disorder that does not exist at all), “partial malingering” (for exaggeration of existing symptoms), or “false imputation” (when symptoms are attributed to a totally unrelated etiology).. A patient may fake symptoms of a specific illness, or deny the existence of the problem that may explain the symptoms. In some cases, the patient may be seeking a reward (time off school or studies, or avoiding home errands); in others, the patient may falsify their symptoms because they think that the symptoms will inevitably arise sometime in the future.
Malingering is not classified as a mental disorder.
"A condition in which a person deliberately and consciously acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick."
Symptoms of a particular illness are usually created or exaggerated; individuals with this disorder may lie about or fake symptoms, harm themselves to produce symptoms, or manipulate clinical test.
Unlike malingering, people with factitious disorders have an inner need to be perceived as ill, which makes them manifest altered behavior. They do not seek to achieve a clear benefit. They are to be suspected especially in the person has the following:
-Dramatic symptoms of the supposed illness
-Inconsistencies between history and objective findings (by the Dr)
-Details that are vague and inconsistent
-Rich medical knowledge of medical terms and illness description
Factitious disorders are considered mental illnesses because they are associated with severe emotional difficulties.
3- Somatoform disorders:
This is a group of psychological disorders characterized by experiencing physical symptoms that are inconsistent with or cannot be fully explained by any underlying medical condition. They include a wide spectrum of severity, ranging from mild self-limited symptoms, such as stomachache and headache, to chronic disabling symptoms, such as seizures and paralysis. The child's symptoms become the focus. They generally interfere with daily activities at school, home, and with friends. This condition is brought about by psychosocial stress and can persist even after stress has resolved.
In order to pin down the correct diagnosis, seeking a psychologist's assistance is advised as these disorders are difficult to differentiate one from the other, let alone being diagnosed each.
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