The Munchausen Syndrome

CEBU, Philippines - Pissed off lately by a gang of pathological liars in government schemes, trying to look ill and miserable on national TV after having been caught red handed? It’s not your set, folks! Those Munchausen Syndrome-struck band of fabulists intentionally fake situations to escape either persecution or prosecution.

Here in the Philippines, some of these monsters even carry the mandate of the people, like a badge flaunting irony in its highest form. These are people who make hospitalization an excuse to escape from squarely facing certain issues that question their moral ascendancy or their credibility by way of conniving in various crimes – against people, against property, against God.

It takes no further enumeration. We have seen and read it on the news how a pathetic and habitual offender would complain of chest pain and hypertension every time an investigation is set. There’s just too many of them now who surfaced, after admitting involvement in government deals turned scams, wanting to act as state witnesses. In fact, you can immediately spot the phony for setting the trend. Ploys move from abusing their right against self-incrimination to their obvious desire for medical assistance relative to stress-related health problems as the quickest way to escape public scrutiny and prison bars.

Munchausen syndrome is named after a German military man, Baron von Munchausen, who travelled around telling fantastic tales about his imaginary exploits. In 1951, a certain Richard Asher applied the term to people travelling from hospital to hospital, fabricating various illnesses.

Spot A Phony

According to eMedicineHealth, Munchausen syndrome is a condition in which a person “intentionally fakes, simulates, worsens, or self-induces an injury or illness for the main purpose of being treated like a medical patient.”

The term Munchausen syndrome is often used interchangeably with factitious disorder, this was noted. “Factitious disorder refers to any illness that is intentionally produced for the main purpose of assuming the sick role, although that purpose is unknown to the sick person.” It was also learned that Munchausen syndrome most appropriately describes persons who have a “chronic variant of a factitious disorder with mostly physical signs and symptoms, although there are reports in literature regarding psychological Munchausen syndrome, meaning that the simulated symptoms are psychiatric in nature.”

“Persons with Munchausen syndrome intentionally cause signs and symptoms of an illness or injury by inflicting medical harm to their body, often to the point of having to be hospitalized,” the health report added.

Causes

The causes of Munchausen syndrome are, however, unknown. Some experts suggest that it is a “defense mechanism against sexual and aggressive impulses.”

“Others believe it may be a form of self-punishment. Determining an exact cause is difficult because persons with Munchausen syndrome are not open and honest about their condition, making further research works on them nearly impossible.”