Usually being sick is never something that people want to be. Lying in bed and not being able to go about the daily chores does not sound ideal. But for some coming up with Munchausen syndrome stories is a normal occurrence. For those that may not be familiar with this illness, here is a little information about it.

To start at the beginning, Richard Asher named this syndrome after a German aristocrat who lived in the 18th century. Baron von Munchausen was well known for his impossible stories that he came up with about his life. Those that have this illness also tell impossible stories. Theirs involve psychological and behavioral factors that cause them to come up with factitious disorders. They come up with their own medical history and will sometimes even alter the test results just so they can either get certain medication or go for more testing, and maybe even surgery.

Not only do they make up the history, but they may self-inflict pain as well by taking laxatives, re-opening wounds, take blood thinners, or may even cause injury to produce blood in the urine. Once they are in the hospital and being looked after, they may seem a bit eager to get tests and even surgeries done.

These patients want to be sick, and enjoy being taken care of. They take on the patient role very naturally. The goal is to try and get more attention and be the center of attention. They do not do this just to get out of work or school, nor do they do this for any financial gain.

The cause of this could be many things. It could have started back when they were a child and did not receive enough attention from their parents. Perhaps they spent a lot of time in the hospital growing up and it has become normality to them. Or maybe it is because their self-esteem is extremely low or has a personality disorder. It could be many different things or a mixture. There might be both a biological and psychological factors.

Treating this may be even more difficult and is the most important part. Because a large part of this illness is about self-harm, ideally this should be caught and detected as soon as possible. Because the patient is continually lying about their medical history, it tends to be a bit more difficult to have a diagnosis. It may help by looking for any previous surgical scars they may have, or where and for what the patient has been treated.

Once the diagnosis has been made, most likely the patient will not believe the conclusion and, ironically as it is, will not want to go on any medication. By working with psychiatrists, there may be a solution over time, but more likely than not, they will continue living the life that they are familiar with. It is known to be a chronic illness.

This is not a very common disease, but it is very serious. There are many who provide Munchausen syndrome stories that are just that, stories. While it may be a hard illness to understand, it should be looked at and diagnosed as soon as possible. It leads to unnecessary self-harm and, for some, even death.