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What is Munchausen syndrome? -

Munchausen syndrome, also known as factitious disorder, is a mental disorder where the person pretends to be ill.

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What is Munchausen syndrome? -

This includes pretending to be ill and faking or deliberately producing symptoms of physical, emotional, or cognitive disorders.

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The origins of the name -

Munchausen's syndrome is named after 18th-century German aristocrat Baron Munchausen, who became famous for telling unbelievable stories about his life and adventures.

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Psychological symptoms -

People with the syndrome can claim to suffer from mental health problems. They may say they hear voices, claim to see things, or be depressed, among others.

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Physical symptoms -

Those who suffer from the syndrome might complain of physical symptoms such as pain in specific regions, including organs, muscles, bones and joints.

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Other symptoms -

Some symptoms are not easy to prove or disprove, so they are easily faked. These include vision problems, seizures, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and aches and pains.

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Trying to get sick -

Although many of these are fabricated, it's not uncommon for symptoms to be self-inflicted. People actually do whatever they can to be sick.

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Trying to get sick -

Things such as adding blood to urine, cutting or burning themselves, causing an infection in a wound, deliberate dehydration, and even poisoning themselves are not uncommon.

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Why do people pretend to be sick? -

The person who pretends to be ill assumes the role of a sick person. This will make the person receive attention from both those who surround them as well as the medical community.

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What causes it? -

Munchausen syndrome is a complex mental disorder. There are many factors that can contribute to the syndrome, including emotional trauma or illness during childhood.

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Childhood trauma -

Issues of parental neglect and abandonment might be some of the reasons that lead to a person developing the syndrome as an adult.

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Self-sabotage -

Sufferers can make themselves sick to punish themselves because they might feel unworthy.

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Attention-seeking -

Another hypothesis is that they need to feel important, and crave being the center of attention, so they put themselves in a vulnerable position.

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Being cared for -

There might also be a need to pass responsibility for their well-being and care on to someone else. Being cared for feels really good.

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Personality disorders -

A personality disorder might also be the reason why a person displays signs of the syndrome. These affect thinking and behavior to various degrees. Playing the role of a “sick person” is a clear identity they might like to assume.

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Personality disorders -

Some of the most common personality disorders found among sufferers of Munchausen syndrome include borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder.

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Diagnosing Munchausen syndrome -

People with the syndrome are very difficult to diagnose. Especially because they are indeed very good at manipulating and convincing healthcare professionals.

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What to look for -

There are, however, signs that these professionals should be aware of. These include an eventful but inconsistent medical history.

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What to look for -

Other signs include symptoms that don’t seem to get better and usually become worse or change once the person starts treatment.

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What to look for -

These people usually have an extensive knowledge of medical terms, illness, and treatments, as well as an eagerness to undertake medical procedures (e.g. surgery).

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What to look for -

Doctors should be wary when new or additional symptoms appear following negative test results.

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Diagnosis -

The syndrome can only be diagnosed if there's clear indication that the symptoms are fabricated or induced, if the individual is motivated to be seen as sick, and if there is no likely explanation for their behavior, such as trying to gain financial advantage from being ill.

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Treatment -

Similar to diagnosis, treating someone with Munchausen syndrome is not easy. This is mostly because people will deny that they suffer from it and not cooperate with any possible treatment protocols.

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Treatment -

Being a mental illness, a referral to a psychiatrist might be beneficial in the first instance.

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Treatment -

Then the patient might benefit from psychotherapy. From psychoanalysis to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), there are many approaches that may help.

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Who's affected? -

Two groups of people appear to be mostly affected by the syndrome. One is women aged between 20 and 40 who often have a background in healthcare.

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Who's affected? -

The other group is unmarried white men aged between 30 and 50.

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Munchausen by proxy -

This is in fact a different illness. Munchausen by proxy, also known as factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), is when a person instead of pretending to be ill fakes or induces illness in a person under their care.

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Munchausen by proxy -

The most common cases of Munchausen by proxy are inflicted by mothers onto their children.

Sources: (NHS) (Cleveland Clinic) (Mayo Clinic)

See also: Mental and psychological disorders you've probably never heard of

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