Malingering of Psychotic Symptoms in Psychiatric Settings: Theoretical Aspects and Clinical Considerations

Table 3

Clinical aspects of simulation and dissimulation.

Characteristics	Simulation (malingering)	Dissimulation
Symptom severity	Severe	Minimal
Self-reporting of the symptoms	Consistent with potential overendorsement of certain symptoms	Consistent with potential minimization/underreporting of symptoms
Contradictory or unusual symptoms	Likely	Unlikely
Obvious vs. subtle presentation	More obvious symptoms	Vague, subtle symptoms
Manifestation and/or progression of symptoms	Sudden onset of symptoms	Sudden resolution
Self-harming statements or actions	Unlikely	Unlikely
Self-report vs. observation inconsistency	Possible	Likely
Endorsement of highly specific symptoms	Likely	Unlikely