Complications
The risk of complications increases with every unneeded diagnostic procedure or intervention. For example, multiple exploratory laparotomies can lead to bowel obstructions, infections, or death. Medications used to treat feigned symptoms may cause any of the complications that are risks of pharmaceutical interventions but with no therapeutic need.
Patients may receive unnecessary substances, such as opioids or anxiolytics, leading to addiction.
Patients who repeatedly present with feigned disease are likely to get a reputation for raising alarm when there is no substantive need, distorting the doctor-patient relationship.
This 'boy who cried wolf' syndrome exposes the patient to the risk that, when genuine illness does arise, the patient's complaints may not be taken seriously.
Although there are no good data indicating the frequency of severe morbidity and mortality of factitious disorder, it is clear that significant complications can occur when patients induce illness, especially through infections.
Patients may inadvertently induce coma or death by taking medications to simulate disease.
The financial burden of unnecessary medical care is borne by patients and insurance companies.
Patients may inadvertently exhaust their insurance coverage, exceeding their yearly or lifetime limit on care. When this happens, patients are burdened with medical bills that can be financially ruinous.
Because of the personality characteristics of many patients with factitious disorder, they may react with rage when their behaviour is discovered, filing lawsuits against providers for malpractice.[3]
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