Usually being sick is never something that people want to be. Lying in bed and not being able to go about the daily chores does not sound ideal. But for some coming up with Munchausen syndrome stories is a normal occurrence. For those that may not be familiar with this illness, here is a little information about it.
This is named after an 18th century German aristocrat, Baron von Munchausen. He was known for his wild and ludicrous tales that he would share about himself. This behavioral and psychological syndrome involves patients creating dramatic stories about themselves, more specifically their health, as well. While they are in the hospital undergoing tests, they may alter the test results in order to show they need more medical attention or medication, and they may look eager when the idea of surgery is mentioned.
When they arrive at the health clinic, it is most likely due to an injury that they have caused themselves. Taking blood thinners or laxatives is common, as well as re-opening wounds, and for some, causing an injury that leaves blood in the urine.
For those that have this syndrome, they do this because they want attention. They enjoy being looked after and taken care of. This patient role is very natural for them and will soak up as much of it as they can. It is not about any type of financial or personal gain.
The cause of this could be many things. It could have started back when they were a child and did not receive enough attention from their parents. Perhaps they spent a lot of time in the hospital growing up and it has become normality to them. Or maybe it is because their self-esteem is extremely low or has a personality disorder. It could be many different things or a mixture. There might be both a biological and psychological factors.
This is a very difficult illness to treat, but is extremely important as it is common for many patients who have this to cause self-harm. But because of the dishonesty of the patients, it may take many tests to come to the diagnosis. Doctors need to look at the medical history of the patient and see if it has inconsistencies on where the patient has been treated, what they have come in for in the past, and other irregularities. Some other ways of detecting this syndrome is to check and see if they have multiple scars from previous emergency surgeries,
Once the diagnosis has been made, most likely the patient will not believe the conclusion and, ironically as it is, will not want to go on any medication. By working with psychiatrists, there may be a solution over time, but more likely than not, they will continue living the life that they are familiar with. It is known to be a chronic illness.
There are many sad Munchausen syndrome stories out there and unfortunately there is no known way of preventing this from happening. The best outcome is to detect this syndrome as quickly as possible and to work towards overcoming the illness. If not treated, it will continue on its dark journey of self-harm and possibly death.
This is named after an 18th century German aristocrat, Baron von Munchausen. He was known for his wild and ludicrous tales that he would share about himself. This behavioral and psychological syndrome involves patients creating dramatic stories about themselves, more specifically their health, as well. While they are in the hospital undergoing tests, they may alter the test results in order to show they need more medical attention or medication, and they may look eager when the idea of surgery is mentioned.
When they arrive at the health clinic, it is most likely due to an injury that they have caused themselves. Taking blood thinners or laxatives is common, as well as re-opening wounds, and for some, causing an injury that leaves blood in the urine.
For those that have this syndrome, they do this because they want attention. They enjoy being looked after and taken care of. This patient role is very natural for them and will soak up as much of it as they can. It is not about any type of financial or personal gain.
The cause of this could be many things. It could have started back when they were a child and did not receive enough attention from their parents. Perhaps they spent a lot of time in the hospital growing up and it has become normality to them. Or maybe it is because their self-esteem is extremely low or has a personality disorder. It could be many different things or a mixture. There might be both a biological and psychological factors.
This is a very difficult illness to treat, but is extremely important as it is common for many patients who have this to cause self-harm. But because of the dishonesty of the patients, it may take many tests to come to the diagnosis. Doctors need to look at the medical history of the patient and see if it has inconsistencies on where the patient has been treated, what they have come in for in the past, and other irregularities. Some other ways of detecting this syndrome is to check and see if they have multiple scars from previous emergency surgeries,
Once the diagnosis has been made, most likely the patient will not believe the conclusion and, ironically as it is, will not want to go on any medication. By working with psychiatrists, there may be a solution over time, but more likely than not, they will continue living the life that they are familiar with. It is known to be a chronic illness.
There are many sad Munchausen syndrome stories out there and unfortunately there is no known way of preventing this from happening. The best outcome is to detect this syndrome as quickly as possible and to work towards overcoming the illness. If not treated, it will continue on its dark journey of self-harm and possibly death.