Munchausen syndrome is a severe and chronic physical form of factitious disorder in which an attention-seeking person pretends to be sick, gets sick or injured by faking symptoms, rigging lab tests or by self-inflicting wounds or illnesses in order to gain concern and sympathy.Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a variant of Munchausen syndrome in which an abuser, mostly a parent, tries to create symptoms in the abused, usually a child, in order to get attention.
Those with Munchausen syndrome often present with a history of repeated hospitalization and bizarre and unreal tales of past experiences. The disorder is mostly seen in males and is more prevalent among the young and the middle aged.
Munchausen syndrome is a mysterious disease and for this reason, it is very hard to treat. However, it should not be neglected and must be treated medically to avoid serious consequences.
Symptoms
Munchausen syndrome symptoms involve faked illnesses or inflicted injuries to satisfy a well -hidden emotional need.
Munchausen syndrome symptoms are mostly centered on faked illnesses or inflicted injuries to satisfy a deep emotional need.
However, these individuals are very good at hiding the core issue; therefore, it becomes very difficult to understand that their symptoms are actually part of a serious mental disorder.
Munchausen syndrome is not the same as hypochondria; while hypochondriacs truly believe that they are sick, the Munchausen individuals have a mental condition which involves faking their physical symptoms.
Common symptoms of Munchausen syndrome include-
Frequent hospitalizations
Inflicting harm by self-injury or by injecting themselves with milk, bacteria, feces, gasoline or by taking medicines such as those for diabetes, cancer or blood thinners to mimic a disease
Delay healing by reopening cuts
Tampering with equipments such as thermometers to manipulate values
Tampering with lab results
Although individuals with Munchausen syndrome are well aware of the inherent risk of injury, or even death, they remain slaves to their compulsive behavior. If you have a loved one with the above -said symptoms do not allow your anger or frustration to interfere. Instead, make sure you offer support by seeking medical help.
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