Angina

Delegated Munchausen syndrome is a dangerous form of child abuse. Munchausen syndrome - what is it and how to treat it? What kind of disease is Munchausen syndrome?

Munchausen syndrome is a psychopathological factitious disorder in which a person deliberately feigns symptoms of various diseases or even causes physical harm in order to attract attention to himself. However, people suffering from this disease do not receive or seek any benefit from their behavior and can cause serious harm to themselves or the person dependent on them.

The syndrome received its name in honor of a real person - the German Baron Munchausen, who lived in Germany in the 18th century and became famous as the writer of the most incredible stories and adventures. In the mid-20th century, this name was used for all patients who exaggerated or made up symptoms of illness when visiting a doctor. But today this diagnosis is made only in the presence of extreme psychopathology.

So, if ordinary dreamers and deceivers attribute various symptoms to themselves and deceive for the sake of obtaining benefits (obtaining a disability group, easier work, sick leave, and so on) or invent various diseases for themselves in order to attract attention and manipulate people around them (“if you don’t, as I'm telling you, I'm going to have a heart attack"), then people suffering from Munchausen syndrome are mentally ill. They deliberately injure themselves (inflict wounds on themselves, swallow sharp objects, fake an attack of appendicitis for the sake of surgery) or figure out how to deceive doctors (replace their tests with someone else’s, add blood to their urine, take a medicine that causes tachycardia) in order to get into the hospital or operating room. table.

It is very difficult to identify patients suffering from a disease such as Munchausen syndrome, because they can actually cause physical harm to themselves or the people around them in order to attract attention.

Sometimes these patients are confused with hypochondriacs, but, in fact, they have little in common. Patients with hypochondria do not invent symptoms; they are truly confident that they have a serious illness that requires treatment. Their goal may also be to attract attention to themselves, but they will never deliberately worsen their health.

Causes of psychopathology

The causes of Munchausen syndrome, like other mental illnesses, are not precisely understood. It is believed that the disease occurs in people with a certain type of character and in those who experienced mental trauma in childhood or experienced a lack of attention from their parents. Unfortunately, the reasons that can cause the development of this disease are still unknown. Risk factors include:

Another reason for visiting doctors is an attempt to increase one’s self-esteem and importance. To do this, patients turn to the most famous specialists, and then accuse them of unprofessionalism or refusal of treatment.

Symptoms and forms of the disease

There are no exact symptoms of Munchausen syndrome; people suffering from this disorder masterfully simulate the symptoms of various diseases. As a rule, they choose one or several diseases, the symptoms of which constantly seek medical help. Patients with this diagnosis listen to the conversations of doctors and patients, quickly navigate the situation and often mislead even experienced specialists. With the advent of the global network, identifying such patients has become much more difficult, as they study available information and real stories of patients suffering from such diseases.

Such patients can be suspected based on the following signs:

Previously, patients with this disease usually complained of abdominal pain, bleeding and skin diseases. Today, the list of diseases that can be successfully imitated has greatly increased: these include heart and lung diseases, epileptic attacks and even mental disorders.

The most common types of Munchausen syndrome are:

Delegated syndrome

One of the most unpleasant and dangerous manifestations of such a disease as Munchausen syndrome is delegated syndrome or “by proxy” syndrome. A patient suffering from this disease attracts the attention of patients and those around him, causing symptoms of various diseases not in himself, but in another person who depends on him. This most often affects young children, less often spouses and elderly parents.

Such patients often seem to others, including medical workers, as “ideal” mothers, wives or daughters (since this type of disease is more common in women), who do everything to help or save their ward, who is completely dependent on them.

In order to cause dangerous symptoms in a child or person in their care, these people may withhold or give dangerous drugs, or cause symptoms by any other means available. This can lead to many dangerous situations, including the development of chronic diseases or even the death of the patient.

Such treatment most often affects infants and children who cannot yet speak, as well as disabled people and people with disabilities who cannot control their condition and treatment.

You can suspect manifestations of Munchausen syndrome by proxy based on the following signs:

symptoms of the disease are often not confirmed during examination;
the patient’s condition does not correspond to the severity of the declared disease;
complaints persist even with proper treatment;
the patient’s representative refuses to leave him even for a short time, is well versed in all manifestations of the disease, and tries to influence treatment;
the mother or other representative is constantly dissatisfied with the treatment being carried out, and if the ward does not find confirmation of the diagnosis, she expresses dissatisfaction and demands to continue the treatment anyway;
symptoms of the disease disappear in the absence of a certain person nearby;
a child or patient shows anxiety or restlessness when the mother or person caring for him approaches and when he performs some manipulations.

Difficulties in diagnosis

Diagnosing Munchausen syndrome is very difficult. Patients can masterfully simulate various symptoms, and since they do not stop even before harming themselves, it is almost impossible to distinguish ordinary injuries and symptoms from those caused intentionally.

It is especially difficult, if necessary, to diagnose delegated Munchausen syndrome, since it is very difficult to notice that a caring mother or nurse (sometimes this syndrome occurs in people who professionally care for sick people) deliberately confuses tests or causes harm to the ward. Even if a diagnosis of “Munchausen syndrome” is suspected, it is very difficult for others to accuse a person of such behavior, since it is almost impossible to find evidence of such behavior. If the patient is directly accused of causing harm to himself or his loved ones, then he actively defends himself, denies his guilt, claiming that spiteful critics are deliberately slandering him and trying to slander him.

Treatment

Treatment of Munchausen syndrome is always fraught with great difficulties. The patients themselves refuse to admit that they have a mental illness and agree only to somatic treatment. If such a disease as Munchausen syndrome is accurately identified, the patient is prescribed antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and long-term work with a psychotherapist is required. Drugs help cope with the desire to cause harm and attempts to attract attention in this way, and the psychotherapist must help the patient identify the cause of the development of the pathology and teach him how to cope with this condition.

Today, most patients with Munchausen syndrome do not receive the necessary treatment, as they refuse to work with doctors and take medications, actively resisting any attempts by others to help them.

Munchausen syndrome is a mental disorder in which the patient persistently feigns various illnesses. In some cases, the disease can be classified as hysteria, since the main goal of the patient is to attract the attention of others. In this case, the patient can take any drug that can harm health in order to prove the presence of a particular disease. Some people deliberately induce vomiting and give doctors false information about how they feel. The most advanced forms of pathology are expressed in the patient’s self-mutilation.

Patients with Munchausen syndrome tend to deny the artificial nature of their symptoms, even if they are presented with evidence of malingering.

Munchausen syndrome is a fairly common mental disorder in which a person begins to feign various diseases. Moreover, he talks about his ailments not only to those around him, but also to doctors, which sometimes greatly complicates the diagnosis.

In the course of the studies, the patient is recognized as healthy, but he continues to confidently prove the opposite, often committing actions that can not only harm his health, but also endanger his life.

The vast majority of patients diagnosed with Munchausen syndrome refuse the help of a psychiatrist. They do not recognize the presence of a mental disorder and persistently consider themselves sick.

Sometimes such actions reach the point of absurdity: one woman was treated in a hospital about 500 times, resulting in about 40 operations, the implementation of which was impractical. This disease is often called “hospital addiction” syndrome, since a person tries in every possible way to achieve professional treatment for his non-existent diseases.

According to ICD-10, this disease has code F68.1 and is classified as factitious type disorder.

Delegated Munchausen syndrome

Patients artificially induce signs of illness in themselves, inflict wounds, cuts, and increase blood pressure using special drugs.

Munchausen syndrome in the third person is considered the most complex form of the disease, since with this mental disorder the patient simulates an illness in another person. Therefore, the disease is called “syndrome through a representative.” The last to perform in most cases are primary school students. Less often, a similar role is assigned to the disabled and the elderly.

The victim is the person who is unable to dispel the lies of a patient suffering from this syndrome. For the most part, third-person Munchausen syndrome is observed in mothers and wives of disabled people. It can also develop in carers and nurses.

Patients with delegated Munchausen syndrome can simulate the following ailments and pathological conditions in their patients:

bleeding;
suffocation;
feverish condition;
infectious diseases;
various forms of poisoning;
allergic reactions;
sudden death syndrome.

In order for a patient to develop symptoms of pathologies, the patient can use various techniques. The most popular of them are:

obstruction of breathing by covering the mouth and nose with hands;
delay in calling an ambulance;
the use of special medications that can harm the patient’s condition;
exceeding the dose of medications, etc.

Using such techniques, a person manages to create the illusion of the victim’s serious condition in order to take certain measures to save the victim. This allows the patient to look like a hero in the eyes of others, using authority.

The danger of third-person Munchausen syndrome is that patients suffering from this disorder sometimes have poor control over their actions, which can lead to the sudden death of the person under their care. Violent acts are committed repeatedly, having a negative impact on the victim’s body.

Third-person Munchausen syndrome may remain undetected for a long time. The reason for this is the image of the “savior”, which is persistently created by the patient who wants to gain respect from others. Even if the latter guess something, the fear of making a mistake and slandering a good person forces them to remain silent.

If someone tries to convict the patient of malicious actions, he takes the position of a victim, turning others against his offender. Therefore, cases of the delegated form of the syndrome are detected extremely rarely.

Reasons

When exposed, pseudo-patients become very aggressive and try in every possible way to prove their innocence

It is believed that the main reason for the development of this deviation is an acute lack of attention from family and friends. Scientists have proven that most often the syndrome develops in single-parent families.

Another reason for the development of a deviation may be a serious illness suffered in childhood. A person notices a change in attitude towards him and begins to feign illness in order to again gain the favor of his relatives and constantly feel cared for.

Also, a number of mental disorders can lead to the development of the syndrome: egocentrism, low self-esteem, emotional immaturity, impulsive nature and a tendency to fantasize. All these traits prevent patients from building favorable relationships with loved ones, so they have no choice but to feign poor health.

In some cases, patients with Munchausen syndrome can turn to well-known specialists to improve their self-esteem. And if such a doctor is unable to identify the disorder, then this is a reason for special pride - the patient begins to consider his case unique, because even the eminent doctor could not recognize the true cause of the disease.

Almost every patient with Munchausen syndrome carefully studies the medical literature. These people are well versed in the features of the simulated disease - they watch relevant videos and consult with familiar doctors. Therefore, it is not difficult for them to recreate the clinical manifestations of the disease in detail.

The following individuals are at risk for developing this syndrome:

with a developed inferiority complex;
victims of sexual violence in childhood or adolescence;
those who had a dream of being a doctor, which never came true;
survivors of severe depression;
those who received less parental attention;
those who have experienced the loss of a loved one;
having a hysterical type of mentality.

Symptoms

Most people with Munchausen syndrome have problems with self-esteem

Due to the fact that the patient is capable of simulating a number of diseases, the symptoms in this case will be the most extensive. In most cases, such people imitate precisely those diseases whose clinical picture is best known to them. When choosing a specific disease, the patient usually follows the path of least resistance. For example, having a laxative at home will most likely cause diarrhea.

Previously, people with Munchausen syndrome most often complained of pathological conditions such as diarrhea, fever and vomiting. However, recently the number of highly specialized doctors has increased, which has forced false patients to resort to new tricks.

At the moment, the following ailments remain the most frequently simulated:

Gastritis, ulcers and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Quite often, patients feign gastrointestinal bleeding and rectal disease.
Migraines.
Tuberculosis.
Rash and ulcerations on the skin.
Appendicitis and intestinal obstruction.
Asthma.
Cancerous tumors of various locations.
Diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as tachycardia or angina.

Patients with Munchausen syndrome often feign various conditions that require emergency care. The most striking examples are diseases such as cerebral stroke or stomach ulcer.

The body of the so-called “professional patients” is often covered with cuts and scars. It is also possible that a limb or part of it is missing.

If such a patient comes to a medical institution again, he makes every attempt to hide his medical history or does not mention those doctors with whom he previously received treatment. Most often, professional patients consult a doctor in the evening. This is because at the end of the working day the doctor may not be attentive and will not be able to expose them.

The most common symptoms of Munchausen syndrome are:

the patient’s stories about health problems with the obvious purpose of pitying the interlocutor;
increased interest in surgical interventions;
frequent cases of hospitalization for various reasons;
a sharp “deterioration” of the patient’s condition without any objective reasons;
the patient has a high level of knowledge in medicine;
the patient literally demands that he be prescribed certain medications;
even with normal test results, the patient is still sure that he is very ill;
At the same time, the patient has symptoms of completely different ailments.

Almost all patients with Munchausen syndrome have the following personality traits:

wild imagination and sensitivity;
unhealthy artistry;
problems with self-esteem;
pronounced masochism, which the patient tries in every possible way to hide;
a person feels lonely and unwanted;
narcissism and desire to be the center of attention;
infantilism;
hysteria;
complaints about lack of attention from others;
having deep knowledge in medicine;
problems with adaptation to society.

Diagnostics

A psychiatrist, in a personal conversation, can easily determine the development of Munchausen syndrome

The identification of this disorder is significantly complicated by the fact that “professional patients” describe with high reliability the symptoms of diseases that they do not actually suffer from. In some cases, self-hypnosis turns out to be so strong that the person himself begins to believe that he is sick.

To make a diagnosis, a specialist interviews and examines the patient, and then sends him for an appropriate examination. As a rule, to confirm Munchausen syndrome it is necessary to prove that the patient is completely healthy or, at least, does not have the diseases of which he complains.

For this purpose, comprehensive diagnostics are carried out, which most often includes the following laboratory and instrumental techniques:

General blood test.
Ultrasound and radiography.
CT and MRI.

If the diagnosis does not confirm the presence of the disease, but the patient continues to insist that he is sick, he should be referred to a psychiatrist. This specialist, during a personal conversation and some tests, can accurately determine the development of Munchausen syndrome.

Features of treatment

Persons with Munchausen syndrome most often refuse professional help from a psychiatrist because they consider themselves mentally healthy. The patient agrees to consult a specialist only in hopeless situations, when he feels absolutely helpless.

Of the Russian specialists, Dr. Myasnikov spoke most comprehensively about the treatment of Munchausen syndrome. Let's look at some of his recommendations:

Treatment should involve constant monitoring of the patient's mental, emotional and physical condition. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to monitor the patient simultaneously with several specialists.
A course of psychotherapy is mandatory and should be aimed at adapting the patient to a social environment. Very often, the syndrome is based on some strong complexes or childhood traumas that should be paid attention to.
As a distraction from the problem, the patient should switch his attention to some activity. Hobbies, expanding your social circle can be used for this, new acquaintances will be very helpful. Pets help many patients cope with pathological tendencies.

Treatment of Munchausen syndrome from a third party often involves mental assistance not only to the patient himself, but also to the person through whom he tried to influence others.

Illustration copyright malerapaso/Getty Images Image caption This condition was first identified in 1977. (This and other photos show models not related to this story)

When medical workers at the hospital named after. Carlos van Buuren in the Chilean city of Valparaiso confirmed their fears; the child, who was three and a half years old, had already been hospitalized five times and had undergone more than one course of antibiotics - and this in just nine months.

The boy - let's call him Mario - kept returning to the ear, nose and throat department of this children's clinic with the same problem: strange discharge from both ears, accompanied by small inflammatory nodules in the tissue of the ear canal, and these nodules prevented doctors from examining his eardrum .

The official diagnosis was “inflammation of the middle ear,” but no one could explain what caused it.

The child tolerated antibiotic treatment well, but the illness returned as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.

Also, for unknown reasons, he was somewhat delayed in development.

“At three years old, he could hardly walk and spoke very little,” says surgeon Christian Papuzinski, who was part of the team of doctors who treated Mario in the otolaryngology department of this children's hospital.

Three Suspicious Ingredients

Mario's case is real. Details of this clinical case were published in 2016 in a Chilean medical journal Revista de otorrinolaringología y cirugía de cabeza y cuello("Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery").

Illustration copyright Other Image caption Biopsy showed granulomatous inflammation in the child's external auditory canals

Papuzinski and the team of doctors treating the boy began to have suspicions for various, unrelated reasons.

First of all, due to the lack of an obvious reason that would explain why the symptoms of the ear disease are returning.

This case also had unusual clinical phenomena: the presence of pathogens (microorganisms) that are not usually found in ear diseases, as well as unexplained wounds.

And finally, the fact that Mario clearly improved as soon as he was away from home.

Papuzinski says that after the boy spent two months in the clinic, doctors began to suspect that his mother might have been putting some kind of irritating substance in his ear.

The idea of this arose during the first biopsy, when doctors noticed that the child, upon entering the hospital, immediately began to recover, the surgeon recalls.

“We came to the conclusion that there may be some kind of family factor that we did not take into account. And one of the factors could be some kind of mistreatment of the child,” says the doctor, who admits that he has never encountered such a case before .

But after social service representatives and a child psychiatrist examined the child, this hypothesis was rejected.

The mother denied any abuse of the child, Papuzinski said.

And until the very end she continued to deny everything.

"Very Worried Mother"

It seemed that Mario's mother was truly worried about her son's health.

“She was very worried. She always accompanied him, always arrived early and spent almost 24 hours a day in the hospital,” recalls the Chilean surgeon.

During his nine-month treatment period, Mario spent more than 80 nights in this children's hospital.

Seven months after his first appointment, the truth accidentally came out.

Illustration copyright JLBarranco/Getty Images Image caption The boy spent more than 80 nights in hospital during his nine months of treatment

The mother of a child who was lying in the same room as Mario accidentally saw how his mother injected him with some kind of drug without the knowledge of the doctors.

The doctors recorded in the clinical history that Mario's mother threatened the woman to keep quiet. When doctors asked her directly about this, Mario’s mother denied everything.

Then they called the police, who searched Mario's mother and found syringes hidden in her clothes and under her son's bed.

With evidence in hand, the doctors turned to the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office issued a warrant prohibiting the mother from approaching the child, who began to recover quickly and was soon discharged from the hospital.

For the first time, doctors were able to examine Mario’s eardrums and make sure that he did not have any ear disease.

Doctors also noted a significant improvement in the child’s communication with other people.

Rarely diagnosed syndrome

It turned out that it was not the child who was actually sick, but his mother: she had delegated Munchausen syndrome, which was identified by psychiatrists at the same hospital.

This factitious mental disorder was first described in 1977 by British pediatrician Roy Meadow.

Illustration copyright Nadezhda1906/Getty Images Image caption Delegated Munchausen syndrome is considered a form of child abuse: in approximately 7% of cases it leads to the death of the child

Delegated Munchausen syndrome is a form of Munchausen syndrome in which a person feigns the symptoms of a disease in order to attract sympathy, compassion, admiration and attention from doctors.

In the case of delegated syndrome, the person who is responsible for someone - most often the child's mother or guardian - fabricates the symptoms of the disease, often even causing physical harm to the child.

This is considered a type of child abuse, which very often goes undiagnosed by doctors or responsible persons, sometimes for months or even years.

According to the Chilean medical team, approximately 7% of such cases are fatal.

Media in different countries of the world wrote about the most famous cases that led to the death of children and the subsequent imprisonment of parents.

Adults suffering from this mental disorder may go to extremes in seeking attention from doctors: they may inject blood, urine, or even feces into the child to make the child sick, or give some kind of medication that will cause the child to vomit or have diarrhea, or will result in the child undergoing a biopsy or surgery.

As doctors write in the case of Mario, the real cause of this syndrome is unknown, but in their opinion, this disease is too rarely diagnosed, because doctors usually do not suspect the parents of child patients.

Many clinical cases indicate that in the vast majority of cases the perpetrator is the mother, and Chilean doctors confirm this in 75% of cases.

Why are they doing this?

In fact, Munchausen syndrome and its delegated form have been little studied.

Experts in the field believe that those who have themselves suffered from violence, abuse or abandonment as children are at risk of developing this mental disorder.

Clinicians also assume that patients who engage in self-harm or harm others do so to gain sympathy, attention, or admiration for their ability to cope.

Illustration copyright szefei/Getty Images Image caption Delegated and ordinary Munchausen syndrome are not yet very well studied

On the other hand, even if they have suspicions, it is not easy for medical staff to directly demand an explanation from patients in whom they suspect Munchausen syndrome.

There is a certain risk here: if the patient begins to be questioned with bias, they will be on guard, begin to make excuses, or completely disappear to start looking for help in another hospital where they are not yet known.

In the case of Mario, this is what happened: he was sent to the Valparaiso hospital from another hospital, which he had been to more than once and where the doctors were never able to make a diagnosis.

Another danger may be wrongly blaming the patient with all the ensuing consequences.

"It's a very difficult situation," Papuzynski says.

British pediatrician Roy Meadow, who first described the syndrome, found himself in an ambiguous situation himself after appearing as a witness in several trials against parents who were wrongly accused of killing their children.

"Normal life" with grandma

In Mario's case, a family court judge ordered the boy to be raised by his grandmother.

Illustration copyright FatCamera/Getty Images Image caption After the mother was diagnosed with the syndrome, the child quickly recovered

As Dr. Papuzinski says, these changes very quickly had a positive impact on the health of the child, who began to walk well, his speech improved, he began to communicate more with his peers and was able to attend school.

Mario's mother can see him in the presence of a third party and is currently receiving psychiatric help so that in the future she may be able to raise her son again.

According to the surgeon who treated Mario, the boy now lives a normal, healthy life and shows no signs that he suffered from the actions of his mother.

Once a year he comes for a regular medical examination at the hospital where he once lay.

If, speaking or reading about Munchausen syndrome, an ordinary person, shaking his head, can say - they say, look at how the people are ostracizing themselves, and voluntarily! - that description of delegated Munchausen syndrome will probably make many clench their teeth and fists. And it will cause an irresistible desire to cause irreparable harm to the delegator. Well, or at least give correctional stars quantum satis.

This syndrome is coded in the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, no longer in the psychiatric section - T74.8. Or as “other cases of abuse.” With whom? With someone to whom the symptoms of a disease that actually does not exist will be delegated. That is, it would be good if the person himself portrayed or caused signs of illness in himself: well, he doesn’t feel well, well, those around him are deluded, but at least the radius of damage is limited. But when a child or a person under his care (most often a disabled person) becomes the victim of such a comrade...

And this is exactly what happens. After all, it’s not difficult: add a drop of blood to the urine collected for analysis, give another medicine (or what was prescribed, but based on the average horse), induce diarrhea or vomiting, bleeding or fever, starve. Poison slightly. To strangle, in the end - no, not quite to death, but so that you can pump it out: after all, with a baby or with a weakened person (or with someone who trusts you infinitely) it is so easy! My God, why?! - you ask.

The benefit (if this is truly delegated Munchausen syndrome) is not material, but psychological. What an opportunity, having slightly polished the halo in the morning, to walk around and shine its distant light in everyone’s eyes! What kind of halo of a martyr can you carefully wrap yourself in - behold, see what and in what quantities I have to endure (no, I don’t mean a duck, but in a global sense), looking after this unfortunate person! This is such a geyser of other people’s admiration - they say, there are such selfless people! And most importantly - not at your own expense. A victim is a victim. Even if it’s your own, dear one. And who appreciated when she was given birth (raised, educated, supported - underline as necessary)?

What kind of monster is this? - you ask. Often a rather cute looking monster, I must say. Not technically crazy. Having become accustomed and fused with the mask of a benefactor, a martyr, patiently bearing his heavy cross, his burden of care and responsibility for a seriously ill person. Sketch a psychological portrait? Here, more likely, it will be an identikit. With strokes. Abstract. Like a portrait of Checkered, but it will be recognizable. So look.

A person with amazingly developed egocentricity. He exists, and there are other means to achieve his own goal - naturally, he himself will never tell you about this. Psychologically immature. In some places. No, he will look and outwardly behave as accomplished and responsible, but if you dig deeper, there will be too few “cannots” and too many “I want”, with a completely sluggish, almost agonizing struggle of motives. Emotionally cold - yes, but only internally. For show there is just a flood of feelings, but to feel warmth and love is only in relation to your precious self. Hysterical traits? Yes, perhaps. Not for everyone and not always, but often. Is it oppressed by certain past and present external circumstances? It may well be present, although not always: an authoritarian parental “you must/should do this and you don’t dare to do that”, a not particularly well-established marriage, when you need to put on a good face in a bad game (and not anti-personnel and not on the football field), latent, but a constant feeling of one’s own inferiority or undervaluation - and at the same time a lack of either desire or opportunity to turn the situation in one’s favor with something constructive.

What adds a gloomy note to the situation is that it is extremely rare to identify such a syndrome and press the carrier against a warm wall in a dark corner. This all usually happens within the family. If you press a little, you doubt it, and then you won’t be able to wash yourself away from the counter-accusations. How! This is mistrust! This is vile slander! What kind of doctor/social worker/investigator are you after this? Again, go and prove it, even if you discovered something: was it really done intentionally, or out of thoughtlessness? You know how things are with the medical literacy of the population, doctor... And even if everything is revealed and proven, how to treat it? Psychotherapy, which a person will probably refuse? Or undertake to radically change the foundations of personality? Well, this (and thank God) is generally from the realm of science fiction. And if the carrier of such a syndrome is also a doctor himself, then you can safely make a horror film.

In short, it’s still a problem - fortunately, it’s not very widespread.

Parents harming their child to achieve their own goals sounds creepy, but it turns out to be true. is a mental disorder in which a person attracts attention to himself with the help of people who depend on him. A parent's mental illness can even cost the child's life.

How to recognize the symptoms of Munchausen syndrome?

This is a rare behavioral disorder that usually affects the mother of the child. The name of the symptom comes from the name of a German baron, who was famous for his vivid stories of imaginary adventures. A person with Munchausen syndrome gains the sympathy of others by obtaining a diagnosis from a child using fictitious problems. Doctors are trying to diagnose the child, but the mother is deliberately provoking a deterioration in his condition.

Munchausen syndrome was described in 1951 by Richard Usher, who diagnosed it in patients who invent illnesses to interest doctors. Then, in 1977, Roy Meadow described cases of patients who provoked diseases in their children for the same purpose.

Mothers with Munchausen syndrome are not motivated by material gain. At the same time, doctors are not able to diagnose a disease in a child, but do not suspect the mother of causing harm to the child. On the contrary, she shows love and is sincerely concerned about the condition of her child. Moreover, such a person may have a medical education and is enthusiastically involved in the treatment process.

Symptoms in a child are caused by various tricks. This can even be as simple as lying - fabricating laboratory tests (for example, adding blood to urine), falsifying a child's medical history, causing real symptoms through overheating, starvation or infection.

Characteristic symptoms of Munchausen syndrome:

usually the mother has a medical education
caring attitude towards the child and cooperation with doctors
anxiety (often excessive) towards the child
the child’s medical history includes many hospitalizations, and the symptoms are often different
deterioration of a child's condition is most often reported by the mother rather than by a health care professional
reported symptoms do not match research results
there may be several unusual illnesses in the family or even the unexplained death of a child
The child's condition improves in the hospital, but after returning home, symptoms resume

What causes Munchausen syndrome?

The cause of this syndrome is not entirely clear, but scientists pay attention to biological and psychological factors. Some theories suggest that the disorder results from childhood neglect or abuse, or the early loss of a parent. Some facts indicate stress and problems in the family.

Mothers who cause the manifestation of the disease in their children are women with serious mental disorders, often narcissistic. Psychologists believe that they perceive children as a way to raise self-esteem and restore inner peace. After some time, when stress recurs, the mother again seeks support in the child’s illness.

There are no reliable statistics on the number of people suffering from Munchausen syndrome. Because it is difficult to diagnose and many cases go undetected.

How is Munchausen syndrome treated?

After diagnosis, it is necessary to ensure the safety of the child by separating him from the mother. Treatment of such patients is difficult because they deny the existence of the problem. Moreover, the success of treatment depends on the need to tell the patient the truth, which patients do not want to perceive because they do not distinguish facts from their fiction.