Among the world of mental health there exists many unexplained disorders. Most of these psychiatric disorders occur for no reason and without conscious control. However, in the section of somatic symptom disorders there exists diagnoses of people with factitious disorder whom intentionally pretend illness in order to fulfill their emotional needs. For the FD client, there is a strong urge to assume the role of “patient.” The disorders one witnesses are actually the client feigning symptoms of sickness. Thus the word factitious translates in Latin to artificial or contrived. The patient may feel an internal need to keep faking the role of being sick. They also often have a history of lying uncontrollably and can be portrayed as good …show more content…
Various scientific studies suggest that it is more common to see FD in woman than in men, but men oftentimes portray a more chronic FD. With the FD client being such a great liar it is hard to study their health history and find a cause for their perceived diagnosis. One theory states that during childhood, the child might have been exposed to traumatic events such as abuse or neglect which lead to multiple hospitalizations. In this situation the child finds comfort being at a hospital. They also might substitute the neglected parent-child bond with a staff-patient bond. In a different theory the person may have been exposed to severe illness as a child and this led to the discovery of the attention they received associated with their sick role (Ferrara et al., 2012). Description In order to have a proper understanding of FD one must have knowledge on somatic symptom disorders. People with somatic symptom disorders show their psychological problems though physical symptoms. Somatic disorders show intricate mind-body interactions that cause real physical distress. The distress can be so destructive that it portrays negatively in the clients activities of daily life; meaning the client is unable to survive with said disorder due to lack of functional impairment. The reason why FD falls under the section of somatic symptom disorders is because of the client’s physical sign and symptoms. However the two disorders differ because clients with FD intentionally fake
However, due to her reports, it could be hypothesized that she may have been a victim of sexual abuse or physical abuse at one point in her early life. Borderline Personality disorder has found to be a contributor to child abuse (Spatz 2009). Having parental familial substance abuse and other factors were also predictors for Borderline Personality Disorder. (Spatz 2009) This research is suggested that there was some type of abuse at one point in the client’s early life. From these studies results indicated that more abuses and neglected children met the criteria for
This behavior is abnormal. As in Freud’s Anna O. case (Barlow, Durand, 2012) my neighbor have hysterical symptoms. When normal people are sick, they usually have one or two complains regarding to an illness and once this illness diagnosed, treatment process starts. There is no need to go doctors to doctors. Therefore my neighbor is not seeking to become healthy again, instead he or she seeking to get attention.
In relating the details of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP), the initial reaction is usually shock, followed quickly by fascination. The reason for the latter is that the medical community has yet to make up their minds about what exactly MSBP is. The debate: psychiatric disorder v. child abuse. Essentially the arguments for both create a divide between the brain and behavior, though not relating the two.
The medicalization of such a social problem and the broad symptoms of FSD are in part
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, technically called Factitious Disorder by Proxy, is a disorder characterized by a care-giver, usually a mother or nurse, who inflicts physical harm on another to garner attention and sympathy for themselves (Brown et al 1). The sufferers present themselves as a caring, loving figure when in public, to keep their façade up; but when left alone, subject their victim to mental and physical abuse to keep their ruse going. First identified by prominent psychoanalyst Richard Asher
Facticious means artificial or unnatural, a definition that could not be more appropriate. People who suffer from factitious disorder (FD) “are great con men or con women, although what they obtain through their conning most people would far rather not have”[1]. The earliest accounts of factitious disorders are recorded in the times of Galen, a Roman physician in the second century A.D. The term ‘factitious’ itself, is derived from a book, published in 1843 by Gavin, On Feigned and 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
Both of these disorders are for the same purpose of wanting to be a sick person, maybe to be a part of the medical community. The person is a healthy but choses to fake or induce symptoms that were otherwise unnecessary. These to ideas can be easily question as legitimate. However, because they are categorized as a disorder, it makes me wonder what really goes on in the head of a patient with one of these disorders. Do they feel like what they are doing is weird or wrong? The DSM-5 says that the people who suffer from factious disorder, Munchausen syndrome in particular, had a pretty hospital filled childhood. This understanding proves that there is a correlation between childhood, unconsciousness, and factious disorders. Even though the individual is physically causing the disorder, there is still something wrong going on in their head. The DSM-5 also says that clinicians feel people with factious disorder are wasting their time, which is understandable. However, people with the disorder feel they cannot control their actions. So even though I question the legitimacy, the DSM proves that there is something wrong in the head that is causing an individual to induce or fake symptoms to get
Munchausen syndrome is a rare mental disorder and the most severe type of factitious disorder. Those afflicted with Munchausen syndrome fabricate or cause injuries and illness in order to seek attention even to the point of undergoing painful, intrusive and unneeded medical and surgical procedures. Psychotherapy is the main treatment option for Munchausen syndrome, however there are no standard therapies or medications for treatment. Medications may be utilized for other mental disorders that the patient may have in addition to Munchausen syndrome. Treatment is also given to address injuries or illness that the patient has caused upon themselves, but it is important to not conduct any procedures that are irreversible. Other types of factitious disorders have arisen from Munchausen syndrome including Munchausen syndrome by proxy in which the perpetrator fabricates or causes injuries and illness to the victim in their care, usually children, and Munchausen by Internet in which individuals make false medical claims about themselves in online discussion and support groups. Munchausen syndrome is not easily diagnosable due to the elaborate nature of the individual’s story that is usually backed by a high level of medical knowledge. The prognosis for Munchausen syndrome is poor.
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.
Schizophrenia is a well-known emotional and mental disorder that causes hallucinations, and paranoid and delusional behaviour (Hoffer, 2004). In contrast to many other diseases, schizophrenia is mostly due to genetics and influenced by the environment. People who suffer from this disorder usually cannot differentiate from the imaginative world from the real one. Schizophrenia is often a result of stress and develops gradually (DeLisi, 2011). It is therefore, essential to start early treatment of the disorder. To better understand Schizophrenia, one must know the symptoms, the treatments, the prognosis and the effect the disease has on the schizophrenic and others around them.
Individuals with FD create ailments in order for them to make up for an underlying psychological shortage. The underlying deficits are classified as falling right into several of the adhering to groups:
As we know Munchausen syndrome is a mental disorder of a person faking one’s own ailments to seek attention and simplify from medical professionals. Then there is Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is similar, but the parents will fake the symptoms of the child in order to seek attention from doctors. A similar disorder that might confuse is Factitious Disorder, this disorder people believe physically and mentally that they have a disorder and mimic the symptoms. There are four different types of Factitious Disorder; the first is all psychological symptoms where a person will imitate behavior and mental illness like hearing voices in their head. Next are all physical symptoms, the person will complain about body pain like chest or knee pain. The third is both physical and psychological symptoms; the person will portray both physical pain symptoms and mental illness. The final is Factitious Disorder by proxy, which a caregiver like parents will inflict harm to their children to have symptoms like body
Anissa case involves what is known to be a Somatoform Disorder. An individual with a somatoform disorder displays the onset of physical symptoms that have no medical explanation. They result from an underlying psychological problems that can develop into physical ailments. Anissa honestly believes the condition occurs and is not lying or making up the symptoms. Somatoform disorders can sometimes present itself when a sudden distressing experience has previously occurred. Typically, the patient has a profound inability to manage guilt or in some cases sheer frustration. As a result, the individual begins to experience the physical ailments much like in the what Anissa is presenting. It is said that psychodynamic theorists think that this ailment
Factitious Disorder is a interesting and catchy topic to write about. “Factitious is defined as being falsely created or developed. Based on what I already know about the word factitious, this topic deals with a lot of exaggeration and misbeliefs. They may often diagnose themselves with certain disorders. I previously watched a Dr.Phil show where a teen searched for help from her mom because she suffered from this disorder. She was on the verge of losing her mom. Some people have terminal illnesses and some just seek attention. While researching this topic I would like to learn some ways that help people distinguish the two. Also, I would like to find out what leads a person to be diagnosed with this disorder, or how do they get mentally cured.
Somatoform disorders are characterized by psychiatric medical condition identified by multiple medically unexplained physical symptoms. In other word, this is an illnesses that that occurs in the body without any apparent physical cause. In order to qualify for the diagnosis, physical complaints must be serious enough to interfere significantly with a person’s ability to perform important activities, such as work, school and responsibilities, or lead the person experiencing the symptoms to seek medical treatment. Under the condition of somatoform disorder, some patients identify themselves as having hypochondriasis.