Have you ever encountered someone who has desperately believed that they have a medical condition or a physical illness but have been diagnosed otherwise? Even after receiving their diagnosis, did they continue to seek medical treatment? In the event of this occurrence, you may know someone who could have Munchausen syndrome. As one of the more popular factitious disorders, this particular mental illness results in an individual believing that they are sick even if they have been told otherwise. The reason as to why Munchausen syndrome is considered a mental disorder is due to the emotional turmoil that it puts its sufferers through.
What the Statistics Say About Munchausen Syndrome
1. Unlike other mental disorders that are frequently experienced throughout the world, Munchausen’s is generally seen as a rare condition.
2. Many statistics are not reliable due to the inability to determine the approximate amount of people in the world who suffer from this disease.
3. It can be difficult to determine a direct correlation between dishonesty and Munchausen’s.
4. Individuals have a tendency to seek multiple types of treatment, making it difficult to keep track of patients.
5. Munchausen’s is mostly seen in men and often occurs in young adults.
The Naming of the Disorder
Munchausen’s was originally named after Baron von Munchausen. This officer was well known by the Germans during the 18th century for his ability to embellish his life experiences. Considering that the disease is in fact a factitious disorder where a patient believes that they are severely ill, the name is quite fitting.
What Can Cause Munchausen Syndrome?
Much like many different mental disorders, the true basis or cause of Munchausen syndrome is unknown but there is currently an ample amount of research pertaining to a correlation between biological and psychological factors in developing the disorder. Some scientists believe that it could be a derivative of abuse and/or neglect from childhood. There are other parties that believe it is a result of being repetitively diagnosed with different illnesses throughout one’s lifetime that have required multiple hospitalizations. Also, there has been speculation as to whether Munchausen’s is a result of personality disorders as they are quite common in individuals with this particular mental illness.
Identifying the Symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome
There are several identifying factors that help psychiatric professionals to determine whether someone is affected by Munchausen’s ranging from elaborations of stories and events to purposely hurting themselves to receive medical attention. The majority of individuals suffering from this illness will either lie about or fake certain symptoms so that they can receive attention from doctors. There have also been cases of patients bringing in false tests such as urine samples to attempt to prove that there is a medical anomaly with their test results.
The best way for medical professionals to determine whether they are treating someone with Munchausen’s is to refer to their medical history. Considering that these individuals generally visit several different doctors and give different medical histories each time to correlate a particular disease, their medical histories are generally inconsistent. Doctors will also notice that their medical history may be far more dramatic than their symptoms that they are exhibiting. During the treatment process, people with Munchausen’s also begin to show more severe symptoms or changing symptoms to detriment the healing process.
Additional Symptoms
1. Consistency relapses even though the condition may have improved.
2. Visual scarring from multiple surgeries.
3. Extensive knowledge of medical procedures and terminologies.
4. Symptoms will only appear when they are being tested or observed by others.
5. Enthusiasm pertaining to receiving medical treatment and tests.
6. In the event of negative results, more symptoms may appear.
7. Seeking assistance from several different hospitals and medical professionals in different areas around the country.
8. The patient may be reluctant for doctors to speak with relatives or friends about illnesses.
Diagnosing Munchausen Syndrome
As previously mentioned, it is incredibly difficult to study patients who suffer from this disease due to the amount of dishonesty that is experienced. First doctors will be required to consider whether the patient has any possible mental and physical illnesses before they can conclude that a patient as Munchausen’s.
The diagnostic process is generally a relationship between a physician and a psychiatric professional. During the examination of a patient, a physician will determine whether they are suffering from a legitimate illness and if any of their wounds are self-inflicted. If so, they then refer them to a psychiatric professional to receive assistance. Patients with Munchausen’s will generally speak with a psychiatric professional who specializes in mental illnesses and the treatments associated with a particular disorder. They will then interview and assess the patent to create a diagnosis that fits their symptoms and provide them with a relevant method of treatment.