Are You Sick, or Do You Just Want Attention? :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Are You Sick, or Do You Just Want Attention?Most of us, in our youth, were probably asked this skepticism in some form or some other at least once by our parents and most of us would probably admit to having faked be sick at least once in our lives. It is interesting, then, to note that thither seems actually to be a pathology associated with this kind of behavior known as Munchausen syndrome. What, technically, is Munchausen syndrome? According to the Merck Manual, it is Repeated fabrication of physical illness - usually acute, dramatic, and win over - by a person who wanders from hospital to hospital for treatment. (1) People abject from this disorder provide even go so furthest as to inflict physical harm upon themselves in order to get the aid they want. Generally, it is associated with a past history of severe neglect and abuse inflicted upon the subject. It is essential at this point to differentiate between Munchausen and two other diseased behaviors for which it migh t be mistaken unlike hypochondriacs, Munchausen sufferers are conscious of the feature that they are not genuinely sick (2) unlike malingerers ( good deal who fake or induce the symptoms of illness for some external gain, such as the prescription of painkillers (3)) the behavior of an overwhelming majority of Munchausen sufferers cannot be attributed to conscious motives. (1)A far more alarming variant of this disorder, known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, has too been documented. In these cases, the subject fabricates the existence of physical illness in another person, usually the subjects child. The same sorts of behaviors occur - faking or simulating the symptoms of illness, resorting to physical harm in order to induce those symptoms. Even though the parent - the Munchausen sufferer - will always appear to be deeply concerned for the childs welfare, her actions will not infrequently result in the childs being severely deformed or even dying. (2) Both variants of this disor der are highly uncommon.At present, people with either Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen syndrome by proxy are seldom, if ever, treated with drugs. model methods of management and treatment include early recognition of the disorder and days of intensive counseling many doctors believe that the disorders are not treatable, inferring from the genius of the disorders that giving the subject medical attention would in fact conjure up the severity of their pathology. (2) Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen syndrome by proxy are rarely treated successfully.