DEVOTEES, PRETENDERS AND WANNABES - 2 CASES OF FACTITIOUS DISABILITY DISORDER

Despite having been described for more than a century, there is no und erstanding of the origin of the attractions, desires and behaviors of devotees, pretenders and wannabes (DPW's). Devotees are non-disabled p eople who are sexually attracted to people with disabilities, pretende rs are non-disabled people who act as if they have a disability by usi ng assistive devices and wannabes actually want to become disabled, so metimes going to extraordinary lengths to have a limb amputated, Two c ases are presented in an effort to understand the psychology of DPW's and to suggest one psychologic concept-that of Factitious Disability D isorders-that may explain not only the obsession to be with disabled p ersons, but also the desire to pretend to be disabled and even the com pulsion to become disabled. Also presented is a combined cognitive-beh avioral approach to modify DPW's obsessions and compulsive, intrusive, illegal and sometimes self-injurious behaviors.