Other Emotional Health Issues / Question
Published: March 9, 2009
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I know that this is a really stupid question, but I can't find too much information on Munchausen Syndrome and I think that I might have it. Ever since I was little I would pretend to be sick and when I played sports a lot I'd do stupid stuff on purpose, like diving for a volleyball that I couldn't get, to try and get hurt. I don't know what's wrong with me, I just like being hurt and I like all the attention that I get from doctors and teachers and everything. I thought that I got over it, but now I'm getting depressed again and I've been thinking about cutting myself and I've been pucnching walls and stuff so that my hand bruises up. I hate all this stuff and I know that it's wrong, but I just can't stop. I tried looking up stuff online about treatments, but everything just says that people who have it don't usually want help and that's where the section ends. What can I do to try and get help? I'm 16 and I haven't done any really serious damage yet. A part of me is hating that I'm even writeing this because I want to keep going on and trying to get hurt, but I know that I need help. Is there anything you can tell me about Munchausen Syndrome?
Signed: Need Information On Munchausen Syndrome
Dear Need Information On Munchausen Syndrome,
TeenHealthFX does not think that you are asking a stupid question at all. What we do think is that there is a tremendous amount of internal conflict in you between the part of you that wants to continue hurting yourself and get the subsequent attention, and the part of you that sees this as a problem and wants to get help for it – especially before you cause severe damage to your body. It is very possible that you are dealing with Munchausen Syndrome since you deliberately harm yourself at times with the goal of getting increased attention. You have taken your first step in contacting FX, and now you need to take the next step by telling your parents and/or a school counselor about what you are dealing with so that treatment can be set up with a mental health professional.
If you live in northern
To learn more about Munchausen Syndrome – definition, symptoms and treatment – please read below:
What Is Munchausen Syndrome?
For our readers who may not know, Munchausen Syndrome is a type of factitious disorder, or mental illness, in which a person repeatedly acts as if he/she has a physical or mental disorder, when, in fact, they have caused the symptoms themselves. This disorder usually occurs in people who need have an inner need to be seen as ill or injured to get the sympathy and special attention given to people who are truly ill.
What Are The Symptoms Of Munchausen Syndrome?
People with this syndrome intentionally produce or exaggerate their symptoms in various ways. The might lie about or fake symptoms, hurt themselves to bring on symptoms, or alter diagnostic tests. Possible warning signs of Munchausen Syndrome can include:
- Dramatic, but inconsistent, medical history.
- Extensive knowledge of hospitals, medical terminology, and/or textbook descriptions of the illness.
- Presence of symptoms only when the patient is alone or not being observed.
- Unclear symptoms that are not controllable and that become more severe or change once treatment has begun.
- Appearance of new or additional symptoms following negative test results.
- Predictable relapses following improvement in the condition.
- Willingness or eagerness to have medical tests, operations, or other procedures.
- History of seeking treatment at numerous hospitals, clinics, doctors offices, even in different cities.
- Reluctance of the patient to allow doctors to speak with family, friends, or prior health care providers.
- Presence of multiple surgical scars.
- Problems with identity and self-esteem.
Is There Treatment For Munchausen Syndrome?
As you already found through your own research, treating people with this syndrome can be very difficult and the outcome of treatment can be uncertain because the patient tends to be so connected to seeking help for fictitious problems that they are often unwilling to admit and seek treatment for the syndrome itself.
However, if you see this is a problem for you and want help with it, then start by looking for a mental health professional who is comfortable in treating this type of issue. Generally, the first goal will be to modify the behavior and reduce the misuse or overuse of medical resources. Once this goal has been met, the treatment will then focus on working out the underlying psychological issues that have been contributing to the behavior.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be helpful in changing the thinking and behavior connected with the syndrome. Family therapy can also be very useful to teach the family members not to reward or reinforce the behavior of the person with the disorder. Family therapy, for children and teens in particular, is often very useful because there can often be a certain amount of disconnect and neglect in the parent-child relationships that have contributed to child or teen seeking attention in this maladaptive manner. If those parent-child relationships can be repaired, the child or teen may not feel such a need to get attention through physical health ploys.
There are no medications that directly treat Munchausen Syndrome. However, medication management can be helpful to treat any related disorder, such as depression, anxiety, or a personality disorder. One important consideration in using medication with people dealing with syndrome is that the meds are carefully monitored since some patients may not pick up or use their medication (from urges of not wanting to feel better) or may use their medication in some harmful way (to create additional physical or emotional problems).
Signed: TeenHealthFX
In the 
