{"id":6113,"date":"2014-05-01T11:00:36","date_gmt":"2014-05-01T10:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=6113"},"modified":"2019-10-11T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T11:00:00","slug":"munchausen-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/munchausen-syndrome.htm","title":{"rendered":"What is Munchausen Syndrome?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"munchausen<\/a>Munchausen syndrome is one of a group of psychological and behavioural conditions known as \u201cpsychiatric fictitious disorders\u201d.<\/p>\n

While most of us spend our time trying to avoid illness and ill health, those with <\/strong>M\u00fcnchausen<\/strong>‘s syndrome actively seek illness or injury, intentionally creating and exaggerating symptoms in order to gain treatment, attention and sympathy from medical professionals. It is also known as ‘hospital addiction syndrome\u201d or \u201chospital hopper syndrome\u201d as sufferers will use different hospitals to avoid detection.<\/p>\n

The term was coined in 1951 by a British physician named Richard Asher, who described a pattern of self harm where individuals fabricated illness in order to obtain invasive surgical treatments.<\/strong> He rather controversially decided to name it after a man named Baron M\u00fcnchausen, known for outrageous storytelling, as one of the symptoms was telling lies about oneself.<\/p>\n

Baron M\u00fcnchhausen was a German nobleman (1720-1797). After going overseas with the Russian military, he returned home and is said to have told very farfetched, outrageous tales about his adventures. But he was said to be an honest man who just liked entertaining others with his storytelling. Unfortunately a set of published tall tales were attributed to him despite being largely based on folkloric stories, and the myth began that he was the \u201cBaron of Lies\u201d.<\/p>\n

How Common is Munchausen Syndrome?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It’s not certain. Some believe it is under diagnosed because so many people succeed in tricking medical practitioners. A study at a Canadian hospital estimated 10 out of every 1,300 people were faking symptoms, so it’s not that common.<\/p>\n

Risk factors include already having borderline personality disorder<\/span><\/a>, being hospitalised or institutionalised, having weak coping skills and sense of identity, and working in the health care field.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"munchausen<\/a>The greatest number of cases of Munchausen Syndrome are seen in women aged 20 to 40, often who have worked in a medical profession such as being a nurse, and unmarried white men aged 30-50.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome<\/strong><\/h3>\n

signs of having Munchausen’s include the following:<\/p>\n