Fake Depression: Why People Do It & How to Respond

What Is Fake Depression?

Fake depression, sometimes called malingering, is the intentional act of lying, falsifying, or exaggerating physical or mental health symptoms for external gain. Fake depression is much more common than many realize, despite how difficult it can be to identify. It is commonly reported amongst various people such as: prisoners avoiding trial; students avoiding school; workers avoiding work; individuals seeking disability or other economic compensation benefits; and drug abusers seeking drugs.¹ It is also commonly seen occurring within interpersonal relationships.

Some have confused faking a depressive disorder with factitious disorder, but they are different from each other. Factitious disorder is a mental health disorder in which an individual will present themselves as ill or injured and fabricate physical, or psychological symptoms without the purpose of obtaining external gain.

Symptoms of Fake Depression

Fake depression can be difficult to identify and there is not a set of specific symptoms or signs that can confirm if someone is faking their depression. You should expect that someone who is faking depression will express having some of the common symptoms of depression. Other indicators that someone could be faking depression is the sudden onset or alleviation of the symptoms without appropriate or identifiable reason. You may notice that the suspected individual only expresses the symptoms that affect specific situations and no other aspect of their life.

Why Do People Fake Having Depression?

There are a multitude of reasons an individual would choose to fake depression. As stated previously, the primary purpose is for personal gain. Because it is for personal gain, the motive behind faking depression varies based on the individual. In some instances, there are also mental health disorders that can urge an individual to fake depression.

A person may fake a depressive disorder for reasons such as:

The Presence of an Underlying Mental Health Disorder

There are a few mental health disorders that can contribute to someone wanting to fake depression. These disorders are factitious disorders (also known as Munchausen Syndrome), or somatic symptom disorder. Someone with factitious disorder will deceive others by presenting themselves as sick, intentionally getting, or making themselves sick, or intentionally injuring themselves. Somatic symptom disorder is when a person has a significant focus on physical symptoms like pain or fatigue, which causes significant emotional distress and difficulties in activities of daily living. Someone experiencing either of these disorders could fake having depression symptoms.

Obtaining a Reward

Another reason someone would fake depression is to obtain a reward. The reward can vary based on what their current needs are. Some rewards include the following: obtain financial compensation from others; disability benefits; special treatment or accommodations; extensions on assignments; obtain time off from work, etc. Keep in mind that the reward is the primary motivator for the individual to fake having depression.

Avoiding a Punishment

Like receiving a reward, avoiding a punishment can be just as much of a motivation to have someone fake their depression symptoms. One example of this would be a student expressing symptoms of depression to their teacher or counselor to justify why they should not fail an assignment they did not complete. Another example could be someone pretending to have depression symptoms to avoid issues within their relationship.

Avoid Responsibilities

Avoiding responsibilities are another reason why a person would fake depression. Depression can cause a decline in one’s ability to complete daily tasks, so someone faking their symptoms may do this to avoid daily responsibilities. These responsibilities include but are not limited to: Chores; paying bills; helping out family or friends; attending an event; etc.

Can Fake Depression Be Diagnosed?

As stated previously, it is very difficult to differentiate fake depression from real depression. At this current time fake depression cannot be diagnosed. This means that there is a possibility that someone faking the symptoms could be misdiagnosed with real depression. Professionals have attempted to utilize the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) screening instrument to identify evidence of malingering. This screening instrument can be useful, however if an individual faking their symptoms is committed or deluded themselves into maintaining the façade, there is a chance they could pass the assessment. Another thing that must also be considered with the use of assessment tools is the need for supporting evidence from medical professionals, records, notes, etc.

Understanding True Depression

To prevent yourself or others from being deceived by someone you believe is faking depression, you should take the time to familiarize yourself with what true depression is. By doing this you will be able to improve your ability to recognize the signs of fake depression. In some cases, there are people with true depression who will hide their symptoms. There are also depression symptoms that you may not be able to observe depending on the proximity of your relationship with the individual. Taking this into account it makes it a bit more difficult to spot fake symptoms.

Common symptoms of depression include:

• Having a sad mood most of the day, nearly every day
• Loss of interest in activities
• Irritability
• Weight gain or loss
• Increase or decrease in appetite
• Oversleeping or lack of sleeping
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Decline in self-care
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate
• Thoughts of death
• Suicidal ideation

How to Respond to Fake Depression

If you suspect that someone is faking depression, there are a variety of ways you can respond to them. If you have concerns that the individual could respond negatively, you should make sure you take the time to choose the appropriate option that will have the least number of consequences. You should assess the consequences you experience as a result of the suspected fake depression and whether it would be beneficial to address it.

Below are some tips for responding to fake depression:

Educate Yourself

Before you can consider any of the other options you should take the time to educate yourself about depression. If you are unaware of what true depression is, you can make the wrong assumption about the person and their behaviors. You also should educate yourself on why the suspected person is or would want to fake depression symptoms. Taking the time to understand someone’s motive for doing this could allow you an opportunity to resolve the true problem or provide clarity on how you should address this.

Confront Them

Depending on the individual and the impact their suspected falsifying of depression symptoms is having on you or others close to you, you may want to confront them. Before doing so you should make sure you have identified accurate and unbiased evidence that supports your suspicions. Confrontation can lead the suspected individual to become defensive, hostile, or withdrawn. This may result in the damage or loss of your relationship with them. Be mindful and approach this choice with caution and tact.

Ignore It

In some circumstances the better option to respond to someone faking depression symptoms is to not acknowledge it. This would be the better option for someone who is not being negatively impacted by the individual’s actions. If you are a friend, family member, co-worker or outsider who is simply observing this, you can avoid any unnecessary conflict by not saying anything about your observations.

Support Them

As stated earlier, individuals will fake depression for a variety of reasons. Whether we feel their reasoning is acceptable or not, this is an indicator that there could be something wrong or there is a need not being met. Because of this, you may want to utilize the option of trying to support them. This does not mean supporting their falsification of symptoms but instead, be there for them in other ways. You can be a listening ear, spend time with them, provide financial support if you want to, or do other acts of kindness that shows them you are there for them.

Seek Professional Guidance

If you find yourself in a position where you are uncertain as to how you should respond to your suspicions, it will benefit you to seek out a professional for guidance. Your best option for this issue would be a mental health professional, and you could find and choose an online therapist using an online therapist directory. By speaking with a therapist, you can be educated on depression, as well as explore the various options on how to respond to someone faking depression.

You can seek out guidance from other professionals such as a medical doctor or religious advisor, but they would only be able to provide you feedback from their professional perspective. Depending on their professional and personal knowledge of the matter, you may not receive the appropriate guidance you are seeking in this matter.

In My Experience

It is very difficult to determine if someone is faking their depression. When you encounter someone in your life exhibiting depression symptoms, it could be beneficial for you to check in with them. Whether they are faking the symptoms or not, there is usually an issue present that is the catalyst for the behavior. In my opinion, I believe it’s best to take each of these situations seriously when they occur. Depression is something that many find difficult to express and acknowledge. It can also lead to serious self-harm or suicide in some cases.

I have worked with a multitude of clients and the majority of them seeking out therapy to address depression symptoms were legitimate.  In many of these instances, they expressed experiencing these symptoms and having many people in their lives who were unaware of the symptoms or their severity. I would recommend that if you are unsure about how you can or should address someone you suspect is faking depression symptoms; you should seek out the help of a qualified mental health professional.  A qualified mental health professional will assist you with the following: educating you on depression; exploring your suspicions; why they are triggering; why do you want to address the individual; should you address the individual; and how you can address them. Through this process you allow yourself the opportunity to find the most appropriate course of action.

For those who may be reading this article and are contemplating faking depression for personal gain, I would advise against it. You are risking the possibility of creating complicated situations which could damage the relationships of those in your life who may be affected by your actions. Furthermore, the mental health system is perpetually increasing in the number of clients being served and the availability of mental health professionals is limited. If you choose to involve a professional in your falsification of depression symptoms, it will take away the opportunity for them to help someone else who is truly experiencing depression or another mental health disorder. There are other solutions to the issues you may be experiencing, and I would strongly encourage you to seek out support and other positive alternatives instead of faking depression as a solution.