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Key Terms

factitious disorder
mental health condition in which individuals feign illness or intentionally make others believe they are sick, characterized by a desire for attention and validation
factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA)
form of factitious disorder where an individual intentionally causes illness or symptoms in another person under their care, often a dependent, such as a child, older parent, or other vulnerable individual
functional neurological disorder (FND)
condition in which a person experiences neurological symptoms in the form of one or more altered motor or sensory symptoms that cannot be attributed to a specific medical or neurological condition
globus
sensation of a lump in the throat associated with functional neurological disorder
illness anxiety disorder (IAD)
mental health condition characterized by excessive worry and fear about having a serious medical condition, despite having little or no medical evidence to support the belief and few to no somatic symptoms
malingering
individuals feign symptoms for external incentives, such as financial compensation
pseudoseizures
seizure-like episodes without the characteristic electrical abnormalities observed in epilepsy on an electroencephalogram (EEG)
secondary gain
inadvertent advantages derived from adopting a sick role, such as receiving attention, sympathy, or support from others, or avoiding responsibilities or stressful situations
services utilization
use of health-care services
somatic
relating to or affecting the body
somatic symptom disorder (SSD)
condition that occurs when a client is focused on physical symptoms to the point of significant distress and disruption of normal functioning
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