factitious disease

The repeated simulation of severe organic disease, leading to numerous medical and/or surgical consultations, hospitalisations and unnecessary operations. This pseudodisease affects individuals who create bizarre lesions or fabricate symptoms to enjoy the perceived benefits of hospitalisation, as well as the attention and sympathy of others
Statistics Male:female ratio, 1:2; 74% develop the condition by age 24; the average patient is diagnosed by age 32.

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factitious disease

Factitious disorder, illness Psychiatry Any of a number of self-produced lesions or biochemical changes seen in persons with neuroses to gratify various self-motivated needs–eg, sympathy and narcotics; these conditions share the same raison d'etre, differing only in the site of injury and agent used to produce the lesions. See Munchausen syndrome, Psychosomatic disorder, Self-mutilation.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.