Ganser syndrome
Last reviewed 01/2018
This condition was first described in prisoners by Ganser (1898).
It is characterized by four features.
- "approximate" answers to questions - answers which are plainly wrong, but suggest that the answer is known
- psychogenic physical symptoms
- hallucinations - often elaborate and visual
- apparent clouding of consciousness
The condition is maintained so consistently that it is thought to be due to unconscious mental mechanisms.
There is often a preceding head injury.