Factitious Disorder by Proxy

📋Overview

Factitious Disorder by Proxy involves a caregiver intentionally producing or feigning symptoms of illness in a person under their care, most commonly a child. This behavior is clinically recognized as a form of abuse and is now formally classified as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another.

The primary motivation for this behavior is the caregiver’s psychological need for attention or sympathy rather than external incentives such as financial gain. This condition requires careful clinical evaluation to identify the fabrication of medical history or the induction of physical signs.