Misusing health services — FAQ

No. This is a common misconception. A person with hypochondriasis (Illness Anxiety Disorder) is not consciously faking their fears. They genuinely believe they might have a serious illness and experience real anxiety and distress. Their suffering is psychological, stemming from the misinterpretation of normal bodily sensations as signs of disease.

While they are fabricating the physical symptoms, they are suffering from a genuine and severe psychiatric illness. Factitious disorder is a complex mental health condition. The act of deception itself is a symptom of their psychological distress and their pathological need to be in the sick role. They are not 'faking' for fun; it is a compulsion driven by deep-seated psychological issues.

Not at all. Seeking a second opinion is a legitimate and often recommended part of patient care, usually done openly with the knowledge of the original doctor. 'Doctor shopping' is a covert activity where the patient deliberately hides that they are seeing multiple practitioners, often with motivations such as obtaining drugs or finding a doctor who will give them a desired but medically unsupported diagnosis.