Factitious disorders - a clinical and therapeutic challenge

Factitious disorder represents a category of mental disorders still insufficiently known and diagnosed, which requires more studies and research for a better understanding of all its social and psychological characteristics and to discover a treatment that is as suitable for patients. Also, the positive diagnosis is often very difficult to be establish and not only psychiatrists are involved, but also other medical specialties or health professionals, with an impact on the general population by all the consequences and the costs. This is because patients can present only with physical symptoms or only with mental symptoms or with both. The association with other medical conditions or other mental disorders, which must be diagnosed and treated as early as possible, must also be taken into account. The prognosis is generally reserved, and the therapeutic options are still discussed among the specialists. That's why in this paper we present an overview, regarding the information provided by the specialized literature on this subject.