There's a patient who I've occasionally interpreted for who regularly comes into the ER with abdominal pain. A nurse, frustrated and annoyed, told me once that she's had every test there is, more than once, and they can find nothing -there's nothing wrong with her.
Well I ended up interpreting again for her last night and the doctor told me she had "factitious disorder." I didn't know what that was, so I looked it up -it's apparently a psychological disorder:
From the Cleveland Clinic:
People with Factitious Disorder deliberately create or exaggerate symptoms of an illness in several ways. They may lie about or mimic symptoms, hurt themselves to bring on symptoms, or alter diagnostic tests (such as contaminating a urine sample).
Those with Factitious Disorders have an inner need to be seen as ill or injured, but not to achieve a concrete benefit, such as a financial gain. Individuals with Factitious Disorder are even willing to undergo painful or risky tests and operations in order to obtain the sympathy and special attention given to people who are truly ill. Factitious Disorder is considered a mental illness because it is associated with severe emotional difficulties.
According to what I've read, this can occur with the mimicking of both physical and psychological symptoms. So it got me thinking: Is it possible that there are people who mimic/fake (consciously or unconsciously) psychological symptoms in therapy?
Do you think this can happen, and if so, why?