Question

Why might a physician or psychologist suspect that someone is suffering from munchausen syndrome?

Answer 1

Munchausen Syndrome is a psychological condition in which an individual complains of (and may exhibit) symptoms of a physical disorder for the purpose of obtaining sympathy, attention, and comfort. Because the patient is exhibiting symptoms of a physical disorder which they do not have, it is possible for the physician to be fooled into believing that the patient suffers from the displayed disorder rather than from Munchausen's Syndrome. A doctor might suspect that a patient suffers from Munchausen's rather than the underlying condition when tests reveal that underlying physical causes are absent, when the patient presents an uncommon desire for attention to her illness, or when behaviors such as frequent hospitalizations, doctor shopping, or in-depth knowledge of multiple diseases are present.