What is Munchausen syndrome?
All psychiatric reference books say that Munchausen syndrome is a mental disorder of a factitious nature. Agree, from this definition it is difficult to understand the essence of Munchausen syndrome and what kind of disease it is. Therefore, I will try to talk about its manifestations using clear examples.
A person with such a mental disorder portrays an illness or its symptoms in order to attract attention, to evoke compassion or sympathy from others.
Often, a patient with this disorder may harm himself, falsify test results, agree to risky operations, deceive doctors and his family, persistently seeking medical help. He does this not for profit, for example, to receive hospital benefits, insurance, or to avoid military service, but just like that, without any reason. In this case, the person sincerely believes that he is sick and persistently seeks medical examination or hospitalization. Such patients refuse to talk to psychiatrists because they do not consider themselves mentally ill.
Most people who have heard about this disease at least once are always interested in why Munchausen syndrome is called that and how is it connected with the famous Baron Munchausen? The answer is surprisingly banal - the disease was named after the same baron, famous for his fantastic tales about the adventures he experienced. But unlike the fantasy baron, people with this syndrome can be very dangerous.
