Pretension in Child and Adolescent Medicine

Overview

The objective of the paper is to draw attention to possible deception and pretension of health complaints among child and adolescent patients. These complaints may be manifested starting with clinical pictures Glose to the somatoform spectrum of diseases (F 45) to overt simulation (Z 76.5). The article is based on the classification of disorders and diseases ICD-10 and characterizes the contemporary view on code 68.1 ICD-10, factitive disorders. Various circumstances suggest that possible pretension of symptoms and complaints is not systematically applied in the differential diagnostic approach, in particular where a resistant, long-term and objective ňnding of one unfounded complaint is involved. A factitive disorder involves moreover the risk of serious damage due to not indicated medical procedures and provisions.

Key words:
factitive disorders, pretended syndromy and complaints, somatoform disorders, simulation