Psychiatric and behavioral correlates of factitious blindness

Abstract

In factitious disorder, an individual feigns, exaggerates, or actually self-induces physical or psychiatric illness to achieve ends such as mobilizing care and concern, ventilating aggression, diminishing guilty feelings, or gratifying dependency wishes. We present 2 new cases of factitious binocular blindness, which has rarely been reported but readily illustrates the dramatic range of factitious illness behaviors. Psychiatric and behavioral correlates culled from these cases include extravagant claims about the impairment and ludicrous claims for nonvisual sensory abilities. These patients typically refuse psychiatric care, but earlier detection can help abort the illness deceptions and forestall iatrogenic complications.