ABSTRACT

In a number of identified factitious disorder by proxy (FDP) abuse cases, victims have been abused while affected with a legitimate chronic illness. Legitimate victim illness symptoms may be enhanced or interspersed with factitious enhancements producing the following effects:

• Legitimate illness compounded by the actions of the FDP offender • Factitious illness encircling real medical maladies

The complicated medical process of defining symptom origination of authentic biological origin versus those created by the actions of the FDP offender through factitious means is difficult. Entanglement occurs as a seemingly endless medical causation list to explain a victim’s medical signs/symptoms of illness is encircled by an FDP abuser’s extremely deceptive creativity and offense ability. Clarification of illness origin often does not become clear until the victim is separated from the suspected FDP abuser providing a true depiction of victim health status (Figure 10.1).