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Factitious disorderDeliberately faking or inducing symptoms in oneself, without an obvious external gain, in order to adopt the sick role.Read more → and malingeringDeliberately faking or exaggerating symptoms for an obvious external gain, such as money or avoiding work.Read more → both involve a person deliberately faking or inducing illness, but the MOTIVE behind the deception is what separates a genuine psychiatric disorder from a non-medical behaviour. In factitious disorder, the motive is internal, adopting the 'sick role' itself for its own sake. In malingering, the motive is external, some concrete gain such as money, drugs, or avoiding a duty. For example, imagine two patients who both inject themselves to cause a fever: one does it to be cared for and fussed over in hospital, the other to avoid a court appearance the next day. In practice, asking WHY someone would fake illness is the key question that separates these two.

Factitious disorderDeliberately faking or inducing symptoms in oneself, without an obvious external gain, in order to adopt the sick role.Read more → is classified as a genuine psychiatric diagnosis, since the internal drive to occupy the sick role is itself considered pathological, even though the illness is consciously produced. Munchausen's syndrome is a severe, chronic form, often involving travel between hospitals and elaborate, convincing fabricated histories. MalingeringDeliberately faking or exaggerating symptoms for an obvious external gain, such as money or avoiding work.Read more →, by contrast, is NOT classified as a mental disorder at all, since it is considered a rational, understandable response to an external incentive rather than a psychiatric symptom. Picture a man who fakes back pain specifically to claim disability benefit payments, which stop once the claim is settled. In practice, that clear external, tangible motive marks the behaviour as malingering, not a psychiatric diagnosis.

• How is malingeringDeliberately faking or exaggerating symptoms for an obvious external gain, such as money or avoiding work.Read more → classified in the diagnostic systems?
• A mother is suspected of fabricating seizures in her toddler. What is the immediate priority?
• What approach is generally advised once factitious disorderDeliberately faking or inducing symptoms in oneself, without an obvious external gain, in order to adopt the sick role.Read more → is suspected in an adult?

• Factitious disorder, internal motive, adopting the sick role, and IS classified as a psychiatric disorder, unlike malingeringDeliberately faking or exaggerating symptoms for an obvious external gain, such as money or avoiding work.Read more →.
• Malingering, external motive such as money or evading duty, rather than an internal psychological need, and is NOT a disorder.
• Somatic symptom disorder, symptoms and distress are not consciously produced, unlike the deliberate fabrication in factitious disorderDeliberately faking or inducing symptoms in oneself, without an obvious external gain, in order to adopt the sick role.Read more → and malingeringDeliberately faking or exaggerating symptoms for an obvious external gain, such as money or avoiding work.Read more →.
• Munchausen syndrome by proxy, illness fabricated in another person, such as a child, rather than in oneself.

• Factitious disorderDeliberately faking or inducing symptoms in oneself, without an obvious external gain, in order to adopt the sick role.Read more → is motivated by assuming the sick role rather than by external gain, and malingeringDeliberately faking or exaggerating symptoms for an obvious external gain, such as money or avoiding work.Read more → is not a subtype of it.
• Dissociative disorders are involuntary, unlike malingeringDeliberately faking or exaggerating symptoms for an obvious external gain, such as money or avoiding work.Read more →.
• Direct confrontation may precipitate flight or escalation and should not precede safeguarding action.
• Discharge leaves the child unprotected and loses clinical oversight.
• Further invasive investigation exposes the child to more harm.

• Extract the defining phenomenology, duration, severity and functional-impact clues.
• Match the pattern to the most specific diagnostic or assessment construct.
• Actively test the closest look-alike against the missing or contradictory clue.
• Choose the precise term rather than a broader category that is merely compatible.