In "real life" they weren't all that common. Probably even "rare". There are different types of faking/exaggerating for different motives. Obviously the vast majority of people are genuine, but you'd always have this tiny handful who were 'malingering'. They know they are faking and typically their motives are to get out of trouble (your fake seizure whilst arrested, etc) or to play the benefits system, etc. They are either getting out of something or gaining from it.
You then have patients with genuine health issues who may exaggerate a bit, now sometimes there reasoning can be as before (benefits, getting out of things), but I have often found that it is either health anxiety driving it or sometimes social factors. I worked on a ward for a few months with a consultant with quite a niche specialism and you could be sure that some patients would do/say everything they could to avoid discharge, and then a few weeks later would be readmitted and once one of them was readmitted, the same group would all begin to reappear, often with subjective symptoms (rather than measurable objective signs). I do believe there was a lot of group chats between them so they knew when someone was back in, they were all single and living alone with little nearby family, and I think with the numerous and lengthy admissions over the years there was a degree of institutionalisation created where they were a bit lost outside and liked the routine (and care) provided in a hospital setting. So I do have a bit of empathy/sympathy for some of these cases.
Now actual fabricated illness was even rarer and different to the above mentioned groups (who can lie and exaggerate but entirely different motives). To actually do things to create physical issues because they crave attention from healthcare providers is something that many doctors would probably have been unlikely to actually see in their careers. The extent to which some people go is terrifying and can be deadly (be it to themselves or "by proxy"). But as I say, few and far between and you may go an entire career without ever encountering it...however, social media is a different beast. "Munchausen by Internet" is likely much more prevalent. Yes some of these people are presenting to medical professionals for various issues, but they don't necessarily even need much medical input. They can buy a lot of the paraphernalia online so they can create these huge elaborate medical issues gaining followers, sympathy and most importantly attention without ever needing to even see a doctor. Get a big enough following, add in some brand deals, affiliate links, monetisation of TikTok, etc. and then you have a money motive to keep it going too. There is every chance these people would potentially have diagnosable mental health issues, such as personality disorders that drive that need for attention and adoration (similar to those with traditional factitious illness, only the attention is sought elsewhere, could be on a much bigger scale, with financial gain and no need for the potential self harm). You'll also notice that many cling on to multiple diagnoses that are also hard to prove/disprove, a tiny handful will go for faking cancer and those sorts of diseases. But there is a blurred line between the 'by Internet' and real life stuff. Most of these mostly young women are seeking medical input as well as online attention, especially if they are competing with other accounts. It's a very scary place that social media has taken us too. These people can be a risk to themselves if they are also doing it in "real life", they can be a risk to their followers who are often vulnerable (hence their inability to see the inconsistencies and them wanting to believe it all) and can get quite emotionally (and financially) involved, and they are often a huge issue for those who genuinely have the conditions they claim to have, especially if it is something that doesn't have a definitive test. If a healthcare professional's only previous experience of a condition such as say Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or Tourette's has been someone essentially faking it (and often badly, symptoms not physiologically plausible, etc.) it then makes it harder for that genuine group to get adequate care because the HCP will likely form some sort of bias.
A recent surge in factitious disorder has taken place online, and it appears to be due largely to TikTok.
www.webmd.com
that tubes stuck to the outside of her nose. Her parents should be ashamed of themselves for not dragging her to a psychiatrist
when meeting someone new. It’s so bloody annoying
This faking 