Table of contents:
- What is Munchausen's syndrome?
- Why do people pretend to be sick?
- Who gets mock sick syndrome?
- How do you recognize the signs?
- Can mole syndrome be cured?
When you were a child, you may have lied to your parents by pretending to be sick. Usually this is done so that you can avoid responsibilities such as going to school or when your parents ask for help. For some people, this habit is still continued until they reach adulthood. However, you need to be careful if you do this for the sake of seeking attention or pity from others, and not simply to avoid a responsibility. Maybe you have malingering syndrome, also known as Munchausen's syndrome.
What is Munchausen's syndrome?
Munchausen's syndrome or malingering syndrome is a type of mental disorder. The sufferer will fake a variety of symptoms and complaints of the disease, both physical and psychological. However, most people with this syndrome will pretend to have certain physical illnesses. They will not hesitate to access health facilities, for example by going to the hospital, seeing a doctor, looking for medicine at a pharmacy, and undergoing various tests to treat this fictitious (fake) disease that they have.
Symptoms of the disease that are complained of are usually chest pain, headache, abdominal pain, fever, and itching or rash on the skin. However, in extreme cases someone with malingering syndrome will deliberately hurt himself to trigger symptoms of the disease. This is done either by striking a hunger, dropping oneself so that a bone is fractured, overdosing on drugs, or injuring certain parts of the body.
Why do people pretend to be sick?
The main goal of people with Munchausen's syndrome pretending to be sick is to get attention, sympathy, compassion, and good treatment whether from family, relatives, or health professionals. They believe that faking sickness is the only way they can receive love and kindness just as people who are really sick would be treated.
Unlike hypochondriasis sufferers who do not realize that the symptoms they are suffering from are actually fictitious, people who have Munchausen's syndrome know and are fully aware that they do not have any disease. They will considerately create their own particular clinical conditions in order to attract the attention of those around them.
So far no cause has been found for Munchausen's syndrome, but experts agree that those with this mental illness also have a personality disorder characterized by a tendency to self-harm, difficulty controlling impulses, and attention seeking (histrionics). In addition, various studies have linked malingering syndrome with a history of childhood trauma due to parental abuse or neglect.
Who gets mock sick syndrome?
Although there are no studies that have succeeded in recording the exact number or prevalence of Munchausen's syndrome sufferers, experts and medical personnel state that this case is very rare. Munchausen's syndrome usually appears in the early adulthood of the sufferer. However, it is possible for people in any age range to suffer from this mental disorder. In some cases, even children may develop mole-sick syndrome. So far, most cases reported by health facilities around the world indicate that this syndrome affects men more.
How do you recognize the signs?
To avoid the various risks posed by this mental disorder, get checked out immediately or a family member who shows the following symptoms of malingering syndrome.
- Inconsistent and variable history
- Symptoms of the disease get worse after examination, treatment, or treatment
- Have a fairly extensive knowledge of the illnesses suffered by them, medical terms, and various procedures in health facilities
- New symptoms or different symptoms appear after the health test results indicate that no source of the disease has been detected
- Not afraid or hesitant to undergo various examinations, operations, and other procedures
- Very often see different doctors, hospitals and health facilities
- Refuse if the treating doctor asks to meet with the family or contact the doctor beforehand
- Asking for help or attention from others when sick
- Do not take prescription drugs or vitamins
- Refuse to be referred to a counselor, psychologist, therapist or psychiatrist
- Symptoms of the disease only appear at certain times, for example, when he is with other people or when he has personal problems
- Have a habit of lying or making up stories
Can mole syndrome be cured?
Like mental disorders in general, people with Munchausen's syndrome cannot be completely cured. However, this malingering syndrome can be controlled once the diagnosis is made and the sufferer is willing to work with family, relatives, or mental health professionals to deal with this syndrome.
If you or someone close to you suffers from malingering syndrome, the treatment given usually focuses on changing behavior and reducing the sufferer's dependence on various medical procedures and treatments. The main treatment is usually psychotherapy with cognitive and behavioral therapy methods. Usually the patient's family and relatives will also undergo family therapy to assist the sufferer. The drugs prescribed are generally in the form of antidepressants and the sufferer must be closely monitored while taking this drug.
