Munchausen syndrome is a mental disorder that should not be taken lightly. It occurs when an individual experiences and overpowering need to attract attention to himself or herself. This compulsion causes him or her to create fictitious illnesses or injuries. Symptoms are often fabricated by those suffering from the disorder, and they may attempt to skew lab test results or insist on undergoing dangerous surgeries or procedures for the purpose of generating sympathy. When reading Munchausen syndrome stories, one will quickly come to the conclusion that such individuals need psychiatric attention.
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.
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.
This disorder is not merely inventing health issues for the purpose of achieving a practical benefit. For instance, those who pretend to be sick in order to avoid work, or who fake an injury in order to win a lawsuit are simply being deceptive for a transient purpose, as a means to an end. Those suffering from the aforementioned syndrome typically continue their behavior for many years, and sometimes throughout the course of their life until something brings the deception to the attention of a doctor or family member.
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 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.
A proxy form of the condition is even possible. This manifests as the sufferer purposely injuring or causing the illness of another individual. The objective of this behavior is generally to get sympathy from others by taking care of the injured or ill person. Parents suffering from this condition frequently target their own youngsters as victims.
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.
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.
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.
This disorder is not merely inventing health issues for the purpose of achieving a practical benefit. For instance, those who pretend to be sick in order to avoid work, or who fake an injury in order to win a lawsuit are simply being deceptive for a transient purpose, as a means to an end. Those suffering from the aforementioned syndrome typically continue their behavior for many years, and sometimes throughout the course of their life until something brings the deception to the attention of a doctor or family member.
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 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.
A proxy form of the condition is even possible. This manifests as the sufferer purposely injuring or causing the illness of another individual. The objective of this behavior is generally to get sympathy from others by taking care of the injured or ill person. Parents suffering from this condition frequently target their own youngsters as victims.
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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