Causes of Malingering
The major causes of malingering is usually traced to situational factors such as a desire to gain a specific reward (such as an insurance settlement) or to avoid something unpleasant (such as a jail sentence). However, it is also important to recognize that it can sometimes occur as part of a real disorder. Malingering can also appear as a symptom of antisocial personality disorder.
Just like other mental illnesses, [3] it is difficult to know how common it is for people to fake depression, although it is believed to happen more frequently in specific contexts, particularly in criminal and legal settings.