Munchausen's Syndrome Research Paper

Munchausen's syndrome (MS) is a difficult disorder to diagnose and treat. It is an acute form of the factitious disorder, which is when an individual fabricates or induces an illness to oneself for unknown reasons. Another form of this disease is Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, in which a parent fabricates illness onto a child. Physicians have a difficult time to diagnose such a rare kind of disease. That's why it's very important that physicians, psychologists, and also social workers become more aware in recognizing the signs in the cases dealing with Munchausen's syndrome and Munchausen's syndrome by proxy. Taking proper steps can be taken, so further medical harm can be prevented in the individual and the child.
Munchausen's Syndrome
Most symptoms in people with this disorder are related to physical illness symptoms such as; chest pain, stomach problems, or fever rather than those of a mental disorder. Munchausen syndrome is a mental illness, in which individuals repeatedly act as if he or she has a physical, emotional or cognitive disorder when, in truth, the individual caused the symptoms (Cleveland, 2017). Patients with Munchausen's syndrome spend years traveling hospital to hospital fabricating a wide range of illnesses in which the individual really does not have. Munchausen syndrome patients can be very manipulative and in some cases may undergo painfully and sometimes life-threatening surgeries, even though the patient knows it's unnecessary. Munchausen syndrome is complex and poorly understood. Most patients refuse psychiatric treatment or psychological profiling and it's unclear why individuals with Munchausen syndrome behave in the way they do. However, several factors have been identified as possible causes of Munchausen syndrome. These include: A personality disorder, in which a mental health condition that causes patterns of abnormal thinking and behavior. An emotional trauma or illness during childhood, which the child felt neglected and abandoned by the parents could also be the cause of Munchausen syndrome in patients as the individual gets older. (NHS, 2017). The individual needs to feel the attention from others because as a child it made them feel unworthy, so the individual felt unworthy. When giving a diagnosis to an individual with Munchausen syndrome can be challenging for medical professionals. People with the syndrome are often very convinced and skilled at exploiting a doctor's concern for their patients, and their natural interest in investigating