<unk>  is a rare dissociative disorder previously classified as a factitious disorder. It is characterized by the individual mimicking behavior they think is typical of a psychosis; usually by providing nonsensical or wrong answers to questions, and doing things incorrectly. It is also sometimes called nonsense syndrome, balderdash syndrome, syndrome of approximate answers, pseudodementia or prison psychosis. This last name, prison psychosis, is sometimes used because the syndrome occurs most frequently in prison inmates, where it may represent an attempt to gain leniency from prison or court officials.<unk>  is an extremely rare variation of dissociative disorder. It is a reaction to extreme stress and the patient thereby suffers from approximation or giving absurd answers to simple questions. The syndrome can sometimes be diagnosed as merely malingering, however, it is more often defined as dissociative disorder.
Symptoms include a clouding of consciousness, somatic conversion symptoms, confusion, stress, loss of personal identity, echolalia, and echopraxia. The psychological symptoms generally resemble the patient's sense of mental illness rather than any recognized category. Individuals also give approximate answers to simple questions.  For example, "How many legs are on a cat?", to which the subject may respond '3'.
The syndrome may occur in persons with other mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depressive disorders, toxic states, paresis, alcohol use disorders and factitious disorders. EEG data does not suggest any specific organic cause.
The original description by Sigbert Josef Maria<unk>  in 1898 pointed out their hysterical twilight state. They may also describe hallucinations which are usually more florid than those in schizophrenia. They may also have disorders of sensation similar to those in conversion disorder. They may be inattentive or drowsy.
Some workers believe there is a genuine psychosis underlying this, others believe it is a dissociative disorder, while still others believe it is the result of malingering. Over the years, opinions have seemed to move from the first view more towards the last.
Ganser syndrome
Mungan syndrome
Cogan syndrome
Warkany syndrome 2
Galloway Mowat syndrome
Korovnikov syndrome
West syndrome
Cohen syndrome