What is the term for pretending to be sick to avoid difficult situations?

Malingering refers specifically to the act of intentionally pretending to be ill or exaggerating symptoms in order to escape responsibilities or avoid challenging scenarios, like work or military service. This behavior is often motivated by a desire for secondary gain, such as financial compensation or avoidance of stressors, rather than a genuine health concern.

In contrast, hypochondria involves an excessive preoccupation with having a serious illness based on misinterpretation of bodily symptoms, but the individual is not deliberately faking illness. Somatization relates to experiencing and expressing psychological distress through physical symptoms without any intentional deception. Munchausen syndrome refers to a psychiatric disorder where an individual feigns illness or deliberately induces symptoms for the purpose of gaining attention or sympathy, not necessarily to avoid difficult situations. Therefore, the term that best fits the description of pretending to be sick specifically to evade challenges is malingerin.