2025 ICD-10-CM code F68.1
(Valid) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Disorders of adult personality and behavior 6 (Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders) Feed
Factitious disorder imposed on self.
Medical necessity for treatment of factitious disorder focuses on the underlying psychological condition driving the deceptive behavior.The focus shifts from addressing the simulated physical ailments to providing appropriate mental health care to address the root cause of the disorder.
Clinicians should be alert to inconsistencies in medical history, unexplained symptoms that worsen after treatment, and eagerness for medical procedures. Diagnosing requires ruling out other physical and mental disorders and establishing a pattern of deceptive behavior without external incentives.A gentle, non-judgmental approach can encourage patients to accept mental health treatment.
- 6 (Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders)
- F60-F69 (Disorders of adult personality and behavior)
In simple words: Factitious disorder imposed on self is a mental health condition where someone pretends to be sick or deliberately makes themselves sick to get attention and sympathy. They are aware they are causing their symptoms or making them worse but often don't understand why. This is different from faking an illness for practical benefits like money or time off work.
Factitious disorder imposed on self is a mental disorder where individuals deceive others by feigning or inducing illness in themselves.They may exaggerate existing symptoms, fabricate medical histories, tamper with medical tests (e.g., contaminating urine samples), or even self-harm to create symptoms.This behavior is driven by a psychological need to assume the sick role, not for external rewards like financial gain or avoiding responsibilities.
Example 1: A patient presents with recurrent episodes of blood in their urine.Extensive testing reveals no underlying medical cause.It is later discovered the patient is secretly adding blood to their urine samples to simulate a kidney disorder., An individual frequently visits different hospitals complaining of severe abdominal pain.They have undergone multiple exploratory surgeries with no clear findings. Their medical history is dramatic but inconsistent, raising suspicion of factitious disorder., A patient claims to have seizures, but their symptoms don't align with typical seizure presentations.Video EEG monitoring reveals no seizure activity, but the patient continues to insist they experience seizures, seeking further medical interventions.
Documentation should include detailed medical history, physical examination findings, results of diagnostic tests and procedures, and observations of the patient's behavior. Any evidence of symptom fabrication, exaggeration, or induction should be carefully documented.Psychological assessments and consultations with mental health professionals are also crucial.
** This condition was previously referred to as Munchausen syndrome.It is important to differentiate factitious disorder from malingering (where the motivation is external gain) and somatic symptom disorders (where symptoms are not intentionally produced).Also, if another mental disorder like schizophrenia explains the behavior, F68.1 should not be used.
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Psychiatry, Psychology
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Psychiatric Facility-Partial Hospitalization, Community Mental Health Center, Office