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Munchausen Syndrome Research Paper

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Munchausen Syndrome, a mental disorder where the patient seeks attention or sympathy through fictitious ailments. Coined by Dr. Richard Asher after a German nobleman named Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Baron von Munchausen of the 1700’s. Baron von Munchausen was a military man who returned from war telling outrageous stories of his travels and adventures he endured during his time away from home. In 1951, Dr. Richard Asher applied the term Munchausen to patients who traveled from hospital to hospital seeking medical attention for fake, exaggerated or self-induced injuries. In this paper we are going to discuss, A: The symptoms of Munchausen syndrome. B: Munchausen syndrome by proxy. And C: The importance of quickly diagnosing Munchausen’s disease. …show more content…

Most often Munchausen’s by proxy is between mother and child, or caregiver and child. The perpetrators of this form of Munchausen’s receive the attention they crave by playing the hero role or ultra-caring parent while also assuming the sick or injured role by proxy. Munchausen’s by proxy is often undetected because it appears as a form of neglect or child abuse. Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy may sometimes be described as a mental disorder or simply as abusive behavior. In regards to either form of Munchausen’s syndrome, neither appear in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (“DSM-IV-TR”) under that name but are categorized under “Factitious disorder.” Because of the complexity in diagnosing Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, doctors under suspicion sometimes attempt a “separation test.” In this test the doctor will observe the proxy victim in absence of the care giver. Quite often the symptoms will disappear. Care must be taken when conducting such tests because if the doctors assumptions are wrong, the seriousness of the child’s illness may have been compromised putting the child’s life further at

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