Baron Munchausen Disease

Baron von Munchausen was an 18th century German officer known for greatly exaggerating stories related to his life. The syndrome named after him---Munchausen syndrome---describes mentally ill people who create or fake symptoms of sickness to gain sympathy and attention. The Cleveland Clinic notes many of these people will go to great lengths to maintain this image, undergoing risky tests and procedures among other things.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of this condition can include frequent hospitalizations, extensive familiarity with medical terms and diseases, unusual willingness to get frequent testing or procedures, frequent requests for medication, visiting many different hospitals and doctors, symptoms getting worse for no reason or new symptoms appearing after a negative test result, hesitation in allowing doctors to speak with family or friends and an inconsistent medical history, according to the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic.

Cause

• The exact cause remains unknown, but a mixture of factors like biology and environment may play a role.

Risk Factors

• Certain factors might account for developing this problem; these include childhood abuse, having been cared for in the past for a serious illness, having a sick relative, personality disorders and poor coping skills, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Complications

• People with condition go to great lengths to appear sick. Complications include injury or death from trying to induce injury and symptoms, health problems from the numerous tests and procedures they eagerly undergo, higher risk of substance abuse, financial problems and suicide.

Treatment

• Treatment primarily involves psychotherapy to resolve the issues triggering the behavior. Medications can treat the triggers such as depression or anxiety, but no medication can specifically treat Munchausen syndrome or other factitious disorders in which people pretend to have illnesses, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Treatment also aims to modify behavior and help the patient reduce his unnecessary involvement with and abuse of medical resources like hospitals.

Munchausen by Proxy

• Munchausen syndrome by proxy occurs when a person produces symptoms of illness in someone else to gain attention and sympathy. This most often involves a mother and a child under 6, according to the Cleveland Clinic.