You may be more familiar with the name Munchausen syndrome, but in current mental health terms, it is called factitious disorder. Someone with factitious disorder seeks attention through perceived physical distress. They may fake their own illness, sometimes going to great lengths to create the appearance of symptoms, to research medical conditions, to alter medical records, and to fabricate stories about their experiences.
In some cases, they may cause injury to themselves or otherwise induce illness in order to be worthy of attention in this particular way. Even before digging under the surface, we can expect that someone with factitious disorder is seeking to fulfill certain emotional needs that they are not able to meet elsewhere.
In the mind of someone with factitious disorder, these are the routes to achieve the concern, care, and love of others. This unique logic is a symptom of the disorder. And because it is a disorder ruled by deceit, it can be difficult to diagnose and to treat.
Although they may not need the kind of medical care they ask for, they do need clinical treatment. Unfortunately, it is often hard for someone with the disorder to understand and accept that their true illness manifests in this particular way. Understanding and acceptance can start with those of us who know of and care about those suffering with factitious disorder.
We can help them to access compassionate treatment for their symptoms and for the underlying pain and trauma. Depression commonly occurs alongside factitious disorder and can complicate the symptoms and recovery outcomes if left untreated.
But certain kinds of attention can be helpful whereas other kinds of attention can enable the disorder, thereby delaying or preventing recovery.
In the age of the internet, people can publish stories of their harrowing injuries and illnesses without the responsibility of backing up those stories. They can easily gain the attention of thousands, who will shower them with support and solidarity. Treatment options may include: Medications to treat associated mental health illnesses such as depression or anxiety.
Unfortunately, a person with Munchausen syndrome may misuse prescription drugs to provoke symptoms for further medical intervention. However, it is unlikely that someone with Munchausen syndrome would admit to falsifying symptoms, which can make progress difficult. Some people with Munchausen syndrome flatly refuse psychiatric help. Avoiding unnecessary tests and surgeries is important to reduce the risk of complications.
This can be aided by encouraging the person to go to only one primary care doctor. However, a person with Munchausen syndrome is likely to move on to other doctors and start again.
Munchausen syndrome by proxy Munchausen syndrome by proxy MBP was the term previously used for a rare but serious form of abuse where a person either fakes or produces symptoms in someone else, usually their child. Factitious disorder , , Mayo Clinic US. Factitious disorder , , Medscape, Emedicine US. Hymel KP, , ' Policy statement: Distinguishing sudden infant death syndrome from child abuse fatalities ', American Academy of Pediatrics.
Pediatrics, vol. Munchausen syndrome by proxy , , MedLine Plus. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful?
Yes No. View all mental illness. Related information. In her purse he found syringes and a Petri dish with growing bacteria colonies, with which she had been injecting herself.
When asked if she was harming herself, the patient burst into tears. She admitted to having the bacteria, but denied injecting herself. She wanted the doctors to keep looking for the cause of her problems. Munchausen syndrome is an extreme form of factitious disease, when individuals have a psychological need to repeatedly conjure up illnesses and seek diagnostic tests, treatment or operations.
It is a rare psychiatric disease, and one that is challenging for physicians to detect. Patients with this disease are adept at simulating authentic symptoms and faking illness- even sometimes fabricating medical records. She is an Associate Professor in Clinical psychology at the University of Oslo UiO , who is has become interested in this type of psychiatric disorder. People suffering from Munchausen syndrome can have many reasons for harming themselves.
Some do it to relieve emotional pain by replacing it with a more concrete, physical pain. And their motivation is driven by the need for attention. Unlike hypochondriacs, who truly believe they are sick, Munchausen syndrome patients are being consciously deceptive, even though they often do not know why they are doing it. Some people with factious disorder might not ever admit to causing their symptoms.
Those that do have a long road to recovery to identify the issues that caused this type of behavior in the first place. Types of treatment can include psychotherapy also known as talk therapy and cognitive behavior therapy CBT.
But what causes it? And why would someone ever want to be sick? A psychiatric social worker helps piece together the facts of this disorder. Learn more about vaccine availability. Advertising Policy.
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