Malingering. Malingering is often used as a topic in some researches especially those in line with the medicinal field. The concept that fakers use less severe symptoms to escape detection was validated in 2001 in a research study. Individuals were asked to fake mental illnesses in such a way as to avoid detection by sophisticated psychological tests. All or portions of the following tests were employed in the research: the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology, the Psychopathic Personality Inventory, the M-Test, and the Trauma Symptom Inventory. Slightly over 11% of the 540 research participants successfully avoided detection and were diagnosed with real disorders instead of with malingering. Questionnaires completed by those who
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They will feign general pain, and sometimes even seizures. The apparent reasons for these incidences is varied. The most obvious reason for this type of behavior is to gain attention. Another reason is sheer boredom. It is an adventure as well as an escape from their normal structured routine of, most often, very repetitive activities. One of the perks for each one of these people is the simple act of asking for and receiving a Coke or other soft drink, and maybe a snack or whole meal. They all receive these things on a regular basis, however it is very reinforcing to manipulate their environment to get ‘extra’… I knew one woman who had her staff call 911. She laid on the couch with a big smile on her face while the ‘cute’ paramedics took her vitals. When they suggested they take her to the hospital she normally ‘attended’, she requested another hospital. We all found this strange and the paramedics took her to the requested hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, the woman asked the paramedics to take her to the third floor because her brother was there receiving care. None of us knew this and she had not requested staff to take her to the hospital to see her brother, which would certainly have happened. One thing to remember with this is that Medicaid paid for the ambulance as well as the tests done to
They will feign general pain, and sometimes even seizures. The apparent reasons for these incidences is varied. The most obvious reason for this type of behavior is to gain attention. Another reason is sheer boredom. It is an adventure as well as an escape from their normal structured routine of, most often, very repetitive activities. One of the perks for each one of these people is the simple act of asking for and receiving a Coke or other soft drink, and maybe a snack or whole meal. They all receive these things on a regular basis, however it is very reinforcing to manipulate their environment to get ‘extra’… I knew one woman who had her staff call 911. She laid on the couch with a big smile on her face while the ‘cute’ paramedics took her vitals. When they suggested they take her to the hospital she normally ‘attended’, she requested another hospital. We all found this strange and the paramedics took her to the requested hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, the woman asked the paramedics to take her to the third floor because her brother was there receiving care. None of us knew this and she had not requested staff to take her to the hospital to see her brother, which would certainly have happened. One thing to remember with this is that Medicaid paid for the ambulance as well as the tests done to