Factitious Disorder - Munchausen Syndrome and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP)

Recently, I was reading an article on Munchausen Syndrome and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. I had never heard of these terms before and so I researched it and wanted to share it with the world. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) states that Munchausen Syndrome and Munchausen Syndrome by proxy (MSbP) is a factitious disorder. What is a factitious disorder you ask? A factitious disorder is a disorder where an individual feels that they are suffering from some sort of physical or mental illness, while they are consciously creating the symptoms.

Munchausen Syndrome is a mental disorder in which an individual thinks that they are suffering from a mental or physical illness. So much so that they are willing to put their lives at risk and get unnecessary surgeries and procedures done on themselves. This syndrome occurs due to a deep-seated need of a person to feel cared for and needed. By pretending to be sick, they receive the love, care and sympathy they wanted. Patients even go to an extent of harming themselves to create signs that they are suffering from an illness. It is a extremely rare disorder - only 1% of the population suffer from this disorder. Perhaps, that’s why many people have not heard of this disorder. Here are a few reasons that suggest the origin of Munchausen Syndrome:

a) Childhood trauma - Could be that the parents neglected the child or abandoned the child. Hence, causing the child to suffer from several emotional difficulties

b) Personality Disorders – Individuals who exhibit Anti-Social Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder have a minor chance of developing this syndrome.

There are two groups who can get affected by this syndrome. They are as follows:

a) Women between the age groups of 20 to 40 years who have a background in healthcare

b) Unmarried white men between the age groups of 30 to 50 years.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) is also a mental illness in which the caregiver assigns a fake illness to their patient. In Munchausen Syndrome the person assigns themselves an illness, whereas in MSbP the receiver is another person. This is considered as child abuse as well as adult abuse as the patient is vulnerable. The caregiver produces symptoms in the person so that the patient can receive medical treatment. An example of this is the story of Clauddine Blanchard and Gypsy Rose hailing from the United States of America. At birth, Clauddine stated that her child Gypsy was suffering from sleep apnoea. At eight years old, Clauddine said Gypsy was suffering from Leukemia and Muscular Dystrophy, making her sit in a wheelchair and feeding her via a feeding tube. Clauddine had a list of health- related problems that she said Gypsy was suffering from. Problems such as seizures, asthma, hearing and visual impairments. She even made Gypsy sleep under a breathing machine. After years of trauma, Gypsy, finally escaped the clutches of her mother and eloped with a boy who ended up killing Clauddine on Gypsy’s wish. Her boyfriend committed first degree murder and is serving his lifetime in jail. Gypsy having committed second degree murder was sent to jail for a term of ten years. Most psychiatrists state that Clauddine definitely showed signs of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, but due to her death, have been unable to confirm. Gypsy never suffered from any of the health problems her mother had stated. Her mother was so convincing that no one, not even the doctors thought she was suffering from MSbP. The link below, is the full story of Clauddine Blanchard and Gypsy Rose, along with an interview of Gypsy.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/gypsy-rose-blanchard