The signs and symptoms of Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self may include:
- Inconsistent and dramatic medical history.
- Reluctance on the patient's part for the healthcare team to obtain corroborative information from family and friends.
- Symptoms that repeatedly worsen after they have improved or resolved.
- The repeated appearance of new or positive symptoms after negative test results.
In addition to those above, the signs and symptoms of Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another may include:
- Frequent switching of doctors, initiated by the caregiver.
- Repeated inconsistent reports of signs and symptoms between a vulnerable patient and the caregiver, suggestive of systematic misrepresentation or fabrication by the caregiver.
- Repeated suspicions that test results have been fabricated.
- The suspicions that harm has been deliberately inflicted upon the patient, through actions such as suffocating or poisoning.
When the victim is a vulnerable person, this constitutes child or elder abuse. The perpetrator receives the diagnosis of Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another.