Munchausen disorder

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablemedical

   A mental condition in which a person deliberately fakes or causes illness in themselves in order to be treated as a patient.

   Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural: 'He was diagnosed with Munchausen disorder.'

   Patterns

   • be diagnosed with Munchausen disorder
   • suffer from Munchausen disorder
   • a case of Munchausen disorder

   The doctors grew suspicious when her symptoms never matched any test result, and she was eventually diagnosed with Munchausen disorder.

   People with Munchausen disorder often move from hospital to hospital so that no one notices the pattern.

   His family learned that Munchausen disorder is a real psychiatric illness, not simple attention-seeking.

2. 2noununcountablemedical

   A related condition in which a caregiver, usually a parent, invents or produces symptoms in another person, often a child.

   Grammar: Often written as 'Munchausen syndrome by proxy' to make the caregiver's role clear.

   Patterns

   • Munchausen disorder by proxy
   • suspected Munchausen disorder by proxy

   In cases of Munchausen disorder by proxy, the child appears ill only when the parent is present.

   The pediatric team was trained to spot signs of Munchausen disorder by proxy during long hospital stays.

Common combinations

be diagnosed with Munchausen disorder

She was diagnosed with Munchausen disorder after years of unexplained surgery.

a rare form of Munchausen disorder

Doctors described it as a rare form of Munchausen disorder involving false blood tests.

symptoms of Munchausen disorder

The symptoms of Munchausen disorder disappear once the patient is no longer observed.

treat Munchausen disorder

Psychiatrists try to treat Munchausen disorder with long-term talking therapy.

Synonyms and how they differ

factitious disorder

The modern clinical name for the same condition; it is preferred in medical writing today.

Munchausen syndrome

Almost the same meaning, but 'syndrome' is the older fixed term and is still widely used.

Word family

Munchausen syndrome by proxy noun

The form in which a caregiver causes illness in someone else, typically a child.

Commonly confused: Munchausen disorder or hypochondria?

Practice

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