Medical Encyclopedia:
Malingering: Diagnosis
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Malingering may be suspected:
- when a patient is referred for examination by an attorney
- when the onset of illness coincides with a large financial incentive, such as a new disability policy
- when objective medical tests do not confirm the patient's complaints
- when the patient does not cooperate with the diagnostic work-up or prescribed treatment
- when the patient has antisocial attitudes and behaviors (antisocial personality)
The diagnosis of malingering is a challenge for doctors. On the one hand, the doctor does not want to overlook a treatable disease. On the other hand, he or she does not want to continue ordering tests and treatments if the symptoms are faked. Malingering is difficult to distinguish from certain legitimate personality disorders, such as factitious diseases or post-traumatic distress syndrome. In legal cases, malingering patients may be referred to a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists use certain written tests to try to determine whether the patient is faking the symptoms.
— Robert Scott Dinsmoor
