Malingering is a psychiatric condition belonging to the category of chronic mental disorders. An individual with this disorder indulges in inventing or elaborating the symptoms of a physical or mental disorder for various motives such as getting financial compensation such as insurance or social security, sympathy, avoiding going to work, for getting drugs, avoiding school or college or in order to get a lighter criminal sentence.

Galen recorded malingering in early Roman times when one patient stimulated colic to avoid public meetings and the other feigned an injured knee to avoid traveling with his master on a long journey.

Symptoms of Malingering:

There are various means of feigning illness.

Individuals with this disorder try to concoct symptoms of various illnesses and constantly deceive thermometers, induce swelling, cuts and delay the process of healing of wounds. They have the tendency to harm themselves and indulge in over-exercising activities that can cause a great deal of physical damage.

These individuals appear to have a lot of knowledge about medical diseases, symptoms and remedies that they have learnt from books.

These patients often fake heart disease, seizures or any other chronic ailment such as kidney disease, arthritis, depression, diabetes etc. .

These individuals often stimulate illnesses by taking drugs such as laxatives, emetics, diuretics, emulsifiers and central nervous system stimulants.

These individuals are constantly pulling off frauds by faking the symptoms of diseases or disabilities and this fact is reflected in their personality.

They are extremely defensive when inquired about their illness and become evasive and suspicious.

They talk rather slowly when describing their symptoms and show a great deal of reluctance in talking about their illness.

If inconsistencies in their behavior are pointed out they immediately become more defensive.

Some individuals also get expensive and painful surgical treatments performed in order to get attention.

Treatment:

Medications are usually not administered in the case of these patients but are usually given in cases of associated depression or anxiety. Most of the patents with malingering are treated with psychotherapy, group therapy, family therapy and cognitive behavior therapy.