Which statement best differentiates factitious disorder from malingering?

Which statement best differentiates factitious disorder from malingering?

• A. Factitious disorder involves deception to assume the sick role
• B. Malingering involves deception to obtain external incentives
• C. Factitious disorder is for external gain
• D. Malingering is for attention

Answer: (A)

The key idea is the motive behind feigning or inducing symptoms. In factitious disorder, the deception is driven by a desire to assume the sick role itself—the psychological need to be cared for and seen as ill, without any obvious external rewards. In malingering, by contrast, the deception is intentional but aimed at obtaining something tangible in the external world, such as financial compensation, avoiding work, or getting drugs. So the best statement for differentiating the two is that factitious disorder involves deception to assume the sick role. It captures the internal, person-centered motive to be treated as ill, which contrasts with malingering’s external incentives. The other options either describe malingering in isolation or state ideas that aren’t accurate about factitious disorder (for example, external gain is not characteristic of factitious disorder, and malingering for attention is an oversimplification).

The key idea is the motive behind feigning or inducing symptoms. In factitious disorder, the deception is driven by a desire to assume the sick role itself—the psychological need to be cared for and seen as ill, without any obvious external rewards. In malingering, by contrast, the deception is intentional but aimed at obtaining something tangible in the external world, such as financial compensation, avoiding work, or getting drugs.

So the best statement for differentiating the two is that factitious disorder involves deception to assume the sick role. It captures the internal, person-centered motive to be treated as ill, which contrasts with malingering’s external incentives. The other options either describe malingering in isolation or state ideas that aren’t accurate about factitious disorder (for example, external gain is not characteristic of factitious disorder, and malingering for attention is an oversimplification).