After a minor fender bender, a man wears a neck brace and requests permanent disability. What is the most likely diagnosis?

The scenario describes a situation where an individual is seeking permanent disability after a minor accident, suggesting that he may be exaggerating or fabricating his symptoms to gain a benefit, such as financial compensation. Malingering is characterized by intentional falsification or exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms for some external gain, such as avoiding work or receiving disability benefits.

In this case, the man’s request for a neck brace and permanent disability following a relatively minor incident could indicate that he is not genuinely injured but rather is motivated by the potential advantages of disability status. The context also implies that his symptoms are not inconsistent with the nature of his accident but may be overstated to achieve personal gain rather than for psychological reasons, as would be the case in disorders like conversion disorder or factitious disorder.

By contrast, conversion disorder involves actual neurological symptoms stemming from psychological stress rather than a desire for compensation. Similarly, factitious disorder occurs when individuals deliberately produce or feign illness without the aim of external incentives, focusing instead on the psychological need to assume the sick role. Somatic symptom disorder entails excessive focus on physical symptoms leading to significant distress or impairment, with typically less emphasis on seeking an external reward.

Thus, the most appropriate diagnosis in this scenario is maling