Munchausen syndrome

Munchausen syndrome is a form of psychological disorder known as a factitious disorder. Sufferers mimic real diseases, presenting a great problem to themselves and their healthcare professionals.

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Munchausen syndrome

In Munchausen syndrome, the sufferer feigns, exaggerates, or creates symptoms of illnesses in himself in order to gain attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. The role of "patient" is a familiar and comforting one, and it fills a psychological need in the man or woman with Munchausen's.

There is some controversy on the exact causes of the syndrome, but an increased occurrence has been reported in healthcare professionals and close family members of people with a chronic illness.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy

In Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP), a caregiver feigns or induces an illness in another person, usually her or his child, to gain attention and sympathy as the "worried" mother or father.

Munchausen by proxy is a term used to describe a form of child abuse and which was coined by Sir Roy Meadow, former professor of Paediatrics at the University of Leeds, England. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Meadow's expert testimony sent many parents to prison for allegedly murdering their children through MSbP, as well as causing many potential victims to be taken into care. However, during the course of 2003 a number of high-profile acquittals brought Meadow's ideas into serious disrepute. Some experts now doubt even the existence of MSbP, despite observations on hospital surveillance cameras which have caught MSbP abusers in the act. At the time of writing upwards of 250 convictions which relied on Meadow's evidence are under review. Meadow himself is under investigation by the British General Medical Council for suspected professional misconduct.

In 2003, Sickened, an autobiographical account of the Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy abuse Julie Gregory suffered as a child, was published.

Origin of the Name

The name derives from one Baron Munchhausen (Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Münchhausen, 1720-1797), to whom were ascribed a series of fantastically impossible tales written by Rudolf Raspe.

External link

da:Münchausen syndrom de:Münchhausen-Syndrom [[he:תסמונת מינכהאוזן]] nl:Syndroom van Münchhausen ro:Sindromul Münchhausen


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