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Sunday, 30 June 2013

Munchausen Syndrome Stories Often Contain Disturbing Facts

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By Stacey Massey


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 syndrome is named after a German baron who drew a considerable amount of attention to himself by telling fabricated and elaborate stories about his own life. A well-known British doctor named Richard Ashlar created the phrase Munchausen syndrome as a term to describe patients who deliberately told lies about their symptoms or exaggerated their illnesses to get attention.

Symptoms of this mental condition involve producing or faking sicknesses or injuries for the purpose of satisfying deep emotional needs. It is not clear why people with this disorder are unable to fulfill their inner needs in a healthy way. Those suffering from the condition frequently go to extravagant lengths to hide their deception. For this reason, many years often pass before the person, if ever, is diagnosed with a serious psychological problem.

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 condition is also not the same as hypochondria. Those suffering from the latter truly believe there is some terrible injury or illness at work in their body for which no diagnosis has yet been made. Those with Munchausen syndrome are not ill or injured, they simply want people to believe they are, and will often resort to extreme measures to convince others that something is truly wrong.

Stories about patients suffering from this condition are often startling to sound individuals. For instance, one man admitted to rubbing coffee grains into a cut to cause an infection. This was done after he read that used coffee grains may contain infection-causing bacteria. Another person took aspirin on purpose, although she was well aware that she has an allergy to the medicine. These extraordinary measures are frequently taken by those disturbed in this way so that they can "prove" they are really ill.

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.

Even though well-adjusted people often find Munchausen syndrome stories disturbing, the condition is treatable. If the appropriate psychiatric care is pursued, recovery for such individuals is often possible. Those who think that someone they know, or themselves, are suffering from the syndrome should pursue medical help at once.




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