Munchausen's Syndrome

Munchausen's Syndrome is a mental illness in which a person exaggerates or makes up an illness or injury. This syndrome belongs to a group of mental illnesses called "factitious disorders," when patients compulsively simulate a physical or a mental illness. The game that they play is to assume the status of a patient, win the attention, and the nurturance from friends and family members that they feel like they are not able to get in any other way.

Malingering is a similar condition to Munchausen Syndrome. The difference between the two is those who suffer from Munchausen Syndrome are seeking comfort from their imagined sickness. The malingerers are looking for tangible rewards at work such as paid sick leave or worker's compensation. They may also have ways of getting the doctor to prescribe certain drugs. Malingering comes in the form of chronic whiplash pain from an automobile accident. There are some people who clearly do suffer from whiplash injury, but because of others who over exaggerate the pain for insurance claims or lawsuits has caused our insurance rates to sky-rocket.

Munchausen's by proxy is when an individual pretends the illness of another person to accrue emotional satisfaction. This is a form of maltreatment, abuse or neglect rather than a mental disorder. Children are usually the victims and the mother is usually the perpetrator. They often lead others to think their children have serious medical or psychological problems. They're always taking them to the doctor or changing medicine or running test or admitting them to the hospital and even allow their children to undergo surgeries that they know are not really needed. What it really comes down to is Munchausen syndrome, malingering, and Munchausen by proxy involves illness deception.