Munchausen s Syndrome What is it What is

Munchausen’s Syndrome What is it?

What is Munchausen’s Syndrome? • Psychologic disorder where one invents or fakes illness • Used to draw attention to people • Can be selfinduced or tricking others into believing they are sick

History of Munchausen • Based on a book of fantasy stories, Main character was Baron Munchausen • Written by German author Rudolf Raspe in 1765 • Turned into an American movie in 1988 • Doctors used it to describe fantasy medical conditions • 1951 Dr. Richard Asher 1 st described someone faking self-harm to get medicine • Today it describes all fake illness

Why do people have it? • Fabricated to get attention • Faked receive medical care or medication • Parents make up illnesses for kids • In all cases victims are crazy

Ways to Cure Munchausen’s • Give people faking conditions “sugar” pills or placebo • Fake medicine and see if illness stops • Then confront patient about his or her false condition

People Who Might Have Munchausen’s • Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet" • Soccer Players who fake injuries • Worried Mother’s w/ manic depression • Drug Addicts

More Celebrity Munchausen’s • • • Grey’s Anatomy House, M. D. ER Nip/Tuck Law & Order: SVU Seinfeld - Scofflaw (Jon Lovitz fakes cancer) • All featured episodes for Munchausen’s

Bibliography & Works Cited • • Ivillage website. Munchausen’s Syndrome By Proxy 2/11/07. http: //health. ivillage. com/mentalhealth Wikipedia website. Munchausen’s Syndrome. 2/11/07. http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Munchausen_syndrome Asher, Richard. Munchausen’s Syndrome. Boiling Books Publishing, London, England. 1957. Baron, Leslie. A case of Munchausen Syndrome? Biomedical Monthly January, 1996. P. 32 - 36. • ANY QUESTIONS?