Tuesday, January 29, 2013

What Munchausen Syndrome Cases Teach Us

By Emilia Espinoza


Most probably, not too many people know about Munchausen syndrome. This is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized to be factitious. A person who is affected with such condition expresses over eagerness to be hospitalized for symptoms that may or may not be existing. Various Munchausen syndrome cases will tell you how grave its complications can be.

The condition is referred to by experts using other names like hospital addiction, thick chart and hospital hopper syndromes. You can tell just by looking at the names that people with the condition are so fond of going to hospitals to get treatments. They can even ask for very risky operations without really ascertaining their symptoms first.

No matter how odd the behavior may be, you still have to be familiar so you can help out in referring people for treatment. There are certain symptoms that you need to watch out for. If your loved one or friend is so good at making dramatic stories reflecting he or she is ill, it is possible that he or she has the condition.

On the part of healthcare professionals, they may note that the client has a long history of hospitalizations already. Sometimes, the reasons for admission were not that serious. Symptoms may have gotten worse but the reasons behind them are somehow vague. Someone who has a deep knowledge on medical conditions and has the tendency to attribute them to himself is also a probable candidate.

In order to diagnose this condition, thorough checking is really required. Healthcare personnel need to go through a checklist of probable causes for the condition. Those who have experienced sexual, emotional or physical abuses; serious illnesses in their childhood times; and witnessing the death of a loved are at risk for the condition.

People suffering from the disorder may also exhibit low self esteem. They can have self destructive behavioral patterns which is often manifested as self harming. They have the tendencies to cut themselves physically just to get other people's attention. Some also may be too knowledgeable about medical terminology.

For an accurate diagnosis to be done, expertise is really required. To rule out any possibilities for medical conditions, affected individuals need to be tested many times. At the same time, psychiatric examinations have to be carried out so that treatments can be decided upon. Clients can receive psychiatric counseling or may be prescribed medications for symptom control.

It is beneficial to get treatment at an earlier time in order to mitigate possible complications. Due to too much emotional distraught, affected people may suffer from depression and may even get their relationships severely affected. Because of too much self harm, injuries and even death can result too.

Some of the Munchausen syndrome cases that made sound in history include that of Marybeth Tinning, William Mcllhoy and Waneta Hoyt. You need to be really strong emotionally to accept the truth of their stories. But then again, they should provide a good wake up call for us to report people who we suspect to have the condition to prevent problems from escalating.




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