Munchausen syndrome is a psychological disorder where a person either fakes an illness or induces symptoms of an illness in themselves. The goal of this is to assume the role of the sick person so that others care for them and they can be the centre of attention. However, it is important to note that they have no financial angle for their actions such as claiming benefits.
Signs and symptoms to watch out for
There are several ways someone with Munchausen syndrome can fake an illness, induce it or make it worse. These can include:
- Pretending to have physical symptoms such as stomach ache, chest pain or head ache
- Pretending to have psychological symptoms such as hearing voices or seeing things
- Self-inflicting illness or injury by cutting themselves or eating contaminated food
- Worsen existing conditions such as infecting a wound or reopening them
- Messing with the results of tests, for example using something to heat up a thermometer so it looks like they have a fever
There are also some ways you could begin to piece together that they have this disorder. These clues can include:
- Frequently making a visit to the hospital, sometimes not to the same one
- Test results not backing up the symptoms they say they are experiencing
- Thorough medical knowledge
- Claiming to have symptoms that could be seen as typical examples of certain health conditions
Causes
It is difficult to explain the cause of Munchausen syndrome and why these people behave the way that they do. However, there are several factors that are believed to cause the development of this disorder. These include:
- Personality disorders
- Childhood trauma
Personality disorder
The behaviours that have been characterised by antisocial personality disorder have been linked to Munchausen syndrome. A reason for this is because they consist of a person finding pleasure in deceiving and manipulating those around them.
Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition that is described by a person’s inflated sense of their own importance and a need for attention from others. This is linked with the disorder in question as this is one of the motivations they have for their actions.
Borderline personality disorder impacts the way a person thinks about themselves and others. This can include issues with ongoing feelings of emptiness and an intense fear of abandonment which can lead to more intense feelings of needing attention and keep others around them.
Childhood trauma
The chances of Munchausen syndrome developing can be increased by childhood trauma. This can be through parental neglect or any form of abuse they have had to endure at a young age. A result of this trauma is the person developing the need to feel important or the centre of attention. This can develop as a way to fill the void in their life where they felt they had no one who cared about them.
Diagnosis
The process of trying to diagnose someone can be very difficult for a professional to do. This is because, as stated above, someone with this syndrome has become adept at living their life this way. The consequence of this is that over time they have improved their ability to convince and manipulate doctors into believing their lies. This becomes even more difficult if the patient has spent time building on their medical knowledge.
Treatment
As with the case of the diagnosis, the treatment can prove to be just as difficult. This is due to the fact that in most cases they will refuse to admit that they have a problem. In the scenario that they do admit to their behaviour they can be referred to a psychiatrist for their treatment.
Psychoanalysis and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
The symptoms of Munchausen syndrome can be addressed through both the use of psychoanalysis and CBT.
The former is a type of psychotherapy whereby a therapist will attempt to unmask and tackle unconscious feelings, thoughts and behaviours. These are believed to contribute to what the person is currently experiencing.
CBT can be applied to help this person identify the pattern of unrealistic beliefs and behaviours they display. They can then be taught by a therapist how to replace these unrealistic beliefs with some that are more realistic. It is the belief of this method that if they are able to understand the reason why they have carried out these drastic actions then they can turn their lives around.
Family therapy
It is also vital to remember that the treatment mentioned above cannot fix all of their problems. This is because it ignores the fact that all the lies and manipulative behaviour has affected everyone in their lives. The use of family therapy can be beneficial to help them talk about how this has affected their family and their lives. It can also provide an opportunity to learn different ways not to reinforce their behaviour. This could be done by being able to notice when they are trying to play on being ill and respond by not offering them support.
However, for some people their lives can take a different turn as a result of their lies. This means that the constant nature of living this way of life and covering up the lies can become difficult to keep up with. Therefore, when the reality of their supposed illness comes to light they may simply decide to pack up and leave the area. They will then start this web of lies all over again. This can make the treatment process difficult as they will not have a support network to help them through this.
Fabricated or induced illness (FII)
This is where a person pretends that someone in their care, which could be a child, a disabled person or elderly person, has a mental or physical illness. It used to be known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. This can be very harmful as the child will be forced to undergo unnecessary tests or treatments. Therefore, it is a form of child abuse.
Munchausen syndrome by internet
This refers to a person who joins an online support group that has been created for those with a serious health condition and pretend that they have the same illness themselves.
The impact of this is that people who attend online support groups may verdantly or inadvertently influence the lives of those who actually have the mental/physical condition linked to the support group. This is because when you are suffering from a mental health condition it can feel lonely as you do not have someone in your life you can talk to who understands what you are going through. This online community offers them a safe space where they can share their experiences to help one another. By imposing themselves into this group and then getting caught it can destroy the safe space that they thought they had. It can also leave those with a genuine health condition feeling betrayed and angry.
