Prevalence and characteristics of military malingering

The authors' principle objective was determining the prevalence and characteristics of medical malingering in the military. The authors accessed an electronic database used by the Department of Defense to monitor and manage military health care activities worldwide. The authors searched the dat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Military medicine 2013-01, Vol.178 (1), p.50-54
Main Authors: Lande, R Gregory, Williams, Lisa Banks
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Antisocial personality disorder
Armed forces
Factitious Disorders - epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Malingering - epidemiology
Medical examiners
Mental disorders
Mental health care
Military Personnel - statistics & numerical data
Military service
Patients
Post traumatic stress disorder
Psychopathology
Sex Factors
Single Person - statistics & numerical data
United States
Veterans
World War I
World War II
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Summary:The authors' principle objective was determining the prevalence and characteristics of medical malingering in the military. The authors accessed an electronic database used by the Department of Defense to monitor and manage military health care activities worldwide. The authors searched the database from 2006 to 2011 in the Northern Regional Medical Command for all instances where a health care provider, consequent to an outpatient medical visit, diagnosed malingering, factitious disorder with psychological symptoms, or factitious disorder with physical symptoms. During the time period studied, the Northern Regional Medical Command reported 28,065,568 health care visits. During the same time period, clinicians diagnosed 1,074 individuals with malingering, factitious disorder with predominantly psychological signs and symptoms, or factitious disorder with predominantly physical signs and symptoms. The typical subject diagnosed with one of these disorders was young, male, nonmarried, and enlisted. Although most diagnoses came from a mental health clinic, other medical specialties also contributed to the total tally. These diagnoses are extremely rare based on the findings from this study of outpatient medical care visits.
ISSN:0026-4075
1930-613X
DOI:10.7205/MILMED-D-12-00138