Munchausen Syndrome A Mental Illness Essay - 1470 Words

Munchausen syndrome, also referred to as factitious disorder, is a mental condition in which sufferers cause or pretend to have physical or psychological symptoms that are not actually occurring. Munchausen syndrome is considered to be a mental illness because it is associated with severe emotional difficulties that are present with the illness. Due to the fact that there are no reliable statistics regarding the number of people in the United States who suffer from Munchausen syndrome, it is considered to be a rare condition to have. Even before getting its current name, this condition has been described since the biblical times. For example, sufferers of this syndrome during the Middle Ages went as far as scraping off their skin and putting leeches in their mouths to induce bleeding. This illness was named after Baron Karl Friedrich von Munchausen who lived from 1720 to 1797 and was known for claiming to ride cannonballs and traveling to the moon. The reason why I choose this psychological disorder was because it was brand new topic to me. I was very interested in the fact of not knowing anything about this topic previously so I was able to go into this research with a blank slate. After researching what this syndrome was, my main topic of interest was that Munchausen Syndrome is a largely unexplained phenomena, as it is both quite rare and difficult to diagnose. It is also practically impossible to treat, as most people will emerge with negative results. Most of theShow MoreRelatedMunchausen Syndrome By Proxy Is A Mental Illness And Form Of Child Abuse1856 Words   |  8 Pages Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a mental illness and form of child abuse that claims the lives of 9% of its victims (Heffner, 2004). 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The love between a mother and her children is an unbreakable bond, until Munchausen Syndrome by proxy takes a role in the relationshipRead MoreEssay Taking a Closer Look at Mà ¼nchausen Syndrome1026 Words   |  5 Pages Mà ¼nchausen syndrome is a psychiatric disorder that is distinguished by the patient causing or faking physical or psychological ailments for the sole purpose of being admitted to the hospital. A psychiatric consult nurse sees about one or two Mà ¼nchausen cases a month (Interview with John Hauber, RN). Out of the entire United States population, only half to two percent of people have the disorder (med icinenet.com), but the number is probably higher than that because the statistic shown only representsRead MoreTaking a Look a the Munchausen Syndrome816 Words   |  3 PagesMunchausen!!! If you know someone with munchausen syndrome, you know how bad the disease is. 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Munchausen Syndrome isRead MoreA Brief Note On The Medical Child Abuse1929 Words   |  8 Pagesabuse Denise Eversole Lord Fairfax Community College Abstract Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS) is a disorder of which should bring awareness to the medical field. It is not well understood and brings a lot of controversy. This disorder is when a parent, usually the mother, who purposely causes illness to her child rather physically or emotionally. The disorder was named after Baron von Munchausen, from the 18th century who gained fame from his tales. The child only becomesRead MoreFactitious Disorders1539 Words   |  7 Pagesand Factitious Diseases. Most aggressive study of the disorder began in 1950s, when an article published by a British psychiatrist, Richard Asher who initiated use of the term, Munchausen’s Syndrome[i], to describe a subtype of factitious disorder. The term factitious disorders (FD) refers to â€Å"any illness deliberately produced or falcified for the sole purpose of assuming the sick role.   Patients waste valuable time and resources with lenthy and unnecessary tests and procedures at a cost, accor ding