[Clinical features and psychopathology of factitious disorders].

Factitious disorders are characterized by self-produced symptoms and a chronic course, sometimes with severe complications. Pathomimia occurs more often in women, even though the Munchausen syndrome is found especially in men. Among the various clinical features of pathomimia, the most frequent are factitious fevers and cutaneous pathomimia. Factitious psychiatric disorders are not rare, such as factitious psychotic symptoms, mournings or post-traumatic stress disorders. The main elements of diagnostic orientation are the odd expression of the reported symptoms, a capricious and disconcerting course, as well as the multiplicity of the previous history, with many imprecise diagnoses. Concerning the psychopathology, and contrary to the simple simulation, immediate utility of the alleged symptoms is not the expected goal, one of the essential psychological motivations being to challenge the physician. Among comorbid pathological personalities, there seems to be some close relations between pathomimia and hysterical personality, whereas the Munchausen syndrome shares common features with antisocial personality.