Fraud Syndrome

What is the Fraud Syndrome?
Fraud Syndrome* is my term to describe the belief that one isn’t good enough to have the opportunity that he or she has and that sooner or later, everybody will find out. We have all experienced some self doubt at some point, feeling that “I’m not good enough.”

If I was to try to classify the Fraud Syndrome for the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostical and Statistical Manual, it would go something like this:

Fraud Syndrome

Fraud Syndrome (FS) occurs in 85% of the population and is believed to be a cross-cultural (i.e., etic) phenomenon. It is especially prevalent in those with higher levels of intelligence, and tends to occur when the individual is presented with a desirable opportunity. FS appears to affect males and females equally. Prior to diagnosing FS, it is necessary to rule out Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, and Anxiety Disorder due to a General Medical Condition. The criteria necessary for meeting the diagnosis of FS are listed below:

A. The individual was presented with an amazing opportunity. Both of the following are necessary to meet the criteria for the diagnosis of FS

1. The person has been presented with a desirable opportunity, such as a job offer, a presentation, an award, or acceptance to a competitive program
2. The person’s response involves intense feelings of self-doubt, guilt, fear of embarrassment and failure, and thoughts with insecure content, such as, “WTF was I thinking?”

B. The person’s belief of being a fraud presents in one (or more) of the following ways:

1. Over-preparing in order to impress others
2. Increase in superstitious behaviors
3. Desire to escape or withdraw from the feared situation
4. The belief that everyone is evaluating him or her
5. The (often mistaken) belief that everyone else isn’t a fraud and has never felt like a fraud
6. The belief that the fraud police will find out and that the consequences will be dire

C. Persistent physiological reactions whenever the beliefs of being a fraud are experienced, as indicated by two (or more) of the following:

1. Increased heart rate
2. Shallow breathing
3. Sweaty palms
4. Muscle tension
5. Difficultly staying or falling asleep

Ok, honestly, how many of you meet or have ever met the criteria for the Fraud Syndrome? I know I have, do, every day, right now.

I used to think I was alone in this. Sure, I knew that everyone feels insecure sometimes but I believed (as many with Fraud Syndrome do), that my particular insecurities were actually true and that if anyone found out…

It wasn’t until an eye opening evening in graduate school that I began to evaluate the significance of this belief. I had just graduated with a PhD in behavioral neuroscience and was now working on my clinical re-specialization and taking clinical courses at Alliant International University. I felt like the biggest fraud that ever walked on this planet. Although I had a PhD in neuroscience, I had not taken clinical psychology classes. I felt so stupid compared to my classmates, who seemed to really know what they were talking about and have taken multiple clinical classes. I kept thinking that sooner or later, people will find out. But they didn’t. I will never forget the moment I once shared with a fellow classmate, whom I considered one of the brightest people I’ve ever met. We were discussing neurogenesis and I complimented him on his knowledge and insight. He looked kind of embarrassed and said that he feels “like a fraud” sometimes, that he isn’t “smart enough” to be here.

Woa!! That was eye opening. And he actually used the word “fraud.”Surely, he was mistaken, it was me that was the fraud. I began asking other classmates if they had ever felt that way and although I got a lot of nervous looks, as in “you’ve found out my secret and now I have to kill you,” ultimately, it seemed that many of them did feel this way too.

I then took my quest to the professionals, asking some of the brightest and most successful therapists, authors, artists, and surely enough, they were familiar with the feeling. My world of disbelief finally collapsed about a month ago when I attended An Evening with Neil Gaiman, when he was visiting LA on his book tour for his NYT Bestselling book, Ocean at the End of the Lane. In order to make my point, I should probably explain the significance of this event. In my (biased) opinion, most people fall into one of two categories, either they’ve never heard of Neil Gaiman, or they love him. His books fly off the shelves and Mr. Gaiman himself might as well be called a rockstar due to the amount of loyal fans he has. It was at this very event that Mr. Gaiman used the f word: he said that he has often felt “like a fraud” and was sometimes afraid that “the fraud police would find out.” True story.

I’ve been discussing the implications of the fraud syndrome with my colleagues and students. I often like to ask the first year doctorate students if they have ever felt like a fraud, like they don’t belong in graduate school. I usually get a bunch of nervous looks around the room but no one admits anything. I then proceed to share my own experiences and normalize feeling this way. After a few minutes, I frequently observe smiles and sighs of relief, and when I ask the question again, everyone’s hand typically shoots up. I often get many comments after class and by email about how relieved the students are to know that they are not the only ones feeling this way.

This got me thinking that perhaps I should share my beliefs about the Fraud Syndrome with others. I know that many of you have probably felt this way at some point, maybe even recently, whether it was when you were offered a promotion, met someone who inspires you, or were asked to do a podcast for someone you truly admire 🙂

Whatever your experiences have been, I hope you have found this post helpful.

Warmly,
Shadow Quill
__________________________________________________________________________________________
*Fraud Syndrome is not an actual clinical condition.