Munchausen’s syndrome is an unusual mental illness where the patients seek medical aid for problems which do not exist or talk about symptoms and diseases which are mostly self-induced. The patients suffering from Munchausen’s syndrome pretend that they are very ill or note some kind of problems or disease in other people.
They tend to feel that they are seriously sick and need help from doctors. Most of the time the symptoms that they talk about are found to be non-existent. To prove their point they can also inflict pain upon themselves by cutting themselves or making bruises and in some cases they also revert to toxic substances.
In case of “fabricated and induced illness” the patients tend to find symptoms of diseases in other people. Patients suffering from acute Munchausen’s syndromes have a thorough knowledge about the medical terminologies and talk about their fake diseases with conviction. Only medical tests and proper examinations can prove that they are suffering from a mental disease and not otherwise.
Causes of Munchausen’s Syndrome
In most of the cases the patients are in constant need of attention and sympathy from friends, family and seek medical assistance. It is a little different from hypochondria where the patients truly think that they are suffering from the disease. In case of Munchausen’s syndrome the patients talk in their full senses and are aware that they are faking the disease.
Probable causes still remain unknown but research has shown that there are many parents who continuously talk about diseases to their children and convince them that they are ill and should spend a considerable amount of time in hospitals. This mental instability in the guardian can result to serious problems like Munchausen’s syndrome.
This is almost like child abuse where the children are misguided and permanent damages are done for whole life. People who work in hospitals and clinics and are in constant company of patients, medicine and doctors tend to develop this mental illness.
Symptoms of Munchausen’s syndrome
Patients suffering from this disease fake the symptoms of many diseases like diarrhoea, seizures, breathlessness, vomiting, allergic reactions and even severe problems like blackouts. They tend to visit a number of hospitals and consult the doctor with their problems.
To convince the doctors they will repeat the same story and talk about the symptoms so that they are examined again and again. In most of the cases although the doctors know that the symptoms are fake they have to take care of the patients and medical tests are repeated to prove to the patients that they are not ill.
In case of Fabricated and Induced Illness the patient will note the symptoms of a disease in other people. In most of the cases the parents tend to find problems in their children. To support their theory they even cause harm to the child so that the doctor is forced to believe him. This is one of the most dangerous aspects of Fabricated and Induced Illness.
Treatment of Munchausen’s syndrome
It is difficult to determine the cause of Munchausen’s syndrome and it remains unexplained in many cases. However once diagnosed it becomes more difficult to treat the individual as he or she becomes reluctant to explain their behaviour or becomes angry and defensive.
Once the patients have understood that the doctors are suspecting them and have understood fully that they are faking the symptoms they generally avoid that particular hospital or clinic or visit any other hospital where they have not gone before.
Advice
People suffering from Munchausen’s syndrome are mentally unstable. The doctors have to be patient with them and with the love and support from both family and the doctors they can overcome this disease.
The doctors can resist them from going through any unnecessary treatments. The difficult part is to accept the fact that he is suffering from this syndrome. Once he has accepted it the psychiatrists and psychologists can help them.
