Munchausen syndrome is a mental disorder of a serious nature in which an individual with an extremely intense need for attention fakes injuries or illnesses. Those suffering from this condition frequently make up symptoms, insist on having risky treatment, or attempt to skew laboratory results to generate sympathy and concern from those around them. Any person who has reviewed Munchausen syndrome stories has discovered that those afflicted with this disorder need psychiatric care.
The condition gets its name from a German baron who received a significant amount of notoriety for telling impossible and elaborate stories about himself that were complete fabrications. Richard Ashlar, a prominent British physician, eventually coined the phrase Munchausen Syndrome. He used it to refer to patients who deliberately exaggerated or lied about their symptoms in order to gain attention and empathy from others.
The symptoms of this psychological disorder involve faking or producing injuries or illnesses in order to satisfy deep emotional needs. It is unclear why those with the condition cannot meet their inner needs in normal ways. Individuals suffering from the disorder go to extravagant lengths to avoid having their deception discovered. Therefore, it is often many years before such patients are diagnosed with serious mental problems, if ever.
It is important to understand that this condition is different from behavior such as inventing health problems to enjoy some type of benefit. For instance, faking an injury to win a lawsuit or pretending to be sick in order to skip work are simply deceptive measures used as a means to an end. Individuals afflicted with the syndrome mentioned above, however, usually continue their behavior long-term, often for their whole life, until they are discovered by another individual or their healthcare practitioner.
The disorder should also not be confused with hypochondria. The latter is a condition in which individuals truly believe they are going to be diagnosed with an illness or injury. Those with Munchausen syndrome are not sick or injured, they merely want other individuals to think they are, and will frequently take extreme measures to ensure that others believe they are truly afflicted with a health problem.
Stories about those afflicted with this disorder are sometimes startling to well-adjusted individuals. For example, one Munchausen sufferer rubbed coffee grains into a cut in order to infect it, after reading that used coffee grains can harbor bacteria that can lead to infections. Another individual purposely consumed aspirin even though she knew she was allergic to the drug. These extreme measures are often taken by those who are disturbed in this way in order to "prove" they are truly sick or injured.
There is also a form of this disorder that is acted out by proxy. The latter refers to those who purposely injure other individuals, or attempt to make them ill. The objective of this behavior is usually to attract attention from others as the long-suffering caretaker. Children are often targeted as victims by adults suffering from this condition.
Although many Munchausen syndrome stories are troubling to stable individuals, the disorder is not necessarily a life sentence. If psychiatric care is sought, it is often possible for such individuals to recover. Anyone who thinks that he or she is suffering from this disorder, or knows someone who is, should seek medical advice as soon as possible.
The condition gets its name from a German baron who received a significant amount of notoriety for telling impossible and elaborate stories about himself that were complete fabrications. Richard Ashlar, a prominent British physician, eventually coined the phrase Munchausen Syndrome. He used it to refer to patients who deliberately exaggerated or lied about their symptoms in order to gain attention and empathy from others.
The symptoms of this psychological disorder involve faking or producing injuries or illnesses in order to satisfy deep emotional needs. It is unclear why those with the condition cannot meet their inner needs in normal ways. Individuals suffering from the disorder go to extravagant lengths to avoid having their deception discovered. Therefore, it is often many years before such patients are diagnosed with serious mental problems, if ever.
It is important to understand that this condition is different from behavior such as inventing health problems to enjoy some type of benefit. For instance, faking an injury to win a lawsuit or pretending to be sick in order to skip work are simply deceptive measures used as a means to an end. Individuals afflicted with the syndrome mentioned above, however, usually continue their behavior long-term, often for their whole life, until they are discovered by another individual or their healthcare practitioner.
The disorder should also not be confused with hypochondria. The latter is a condition in which individuals truly believe they are going to be diagnosed with an illness or injury. Those with Munchausen syndrome are not sick or injured, they merely want other individuals to think they are, and will frequently take extreme measures to ensure that others believe they are truly afflicted with a health problem.
Stories about those afflicted with this disorder are sometimes startling to well-adjusted individuals. For example, one Munchausen sufferer rubbed coffee grains into a cut in order to infect it, after reading that used coffee grains can harbor bacteria that can lead to infections. Another individual purposely consumed aspirin even though she knew she was allergic to the drug. These extreme measures are often taken by those who are disturbed in this way in order to "prove" they are truly sick or injured.
There is also a form of this disorder that is acted out by proxy. The latter refers to those who purposely injure other individuals, or attempt to make them ill. The objective of this behavior is usually to attract attention from others as the long-suffering caretaker. Children are often targeted as victims by adults suffering from this condition.
Although many Munchausen syndrome stories are troubling to stable individuals, the disorder is not necessarily a life sentence. If psychiatric care is sought, it is often possible for such individuals to recover. Anyone who thinks that he or she is suffering from this disorder, or knows someone who is, should seek medical advice as soon as possible.
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