Munchausen syndrome

[ muhn-chou-zuhn sin-drohm, muhnch-hou-zuhn ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. a factitious disorder in which otherwise healthy individuals seek to hospitalize themselves with feigned or self-induced pathology in order to receive surgical or other medical treatment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Munchausen syndrome¹

1950–55; named after Baron von Münchhausen ( def ), whose fictionalized accounts of his own experiences suggest symptoms of the disorder

Example Sentences

Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder and form of child abuse in which a caregiver fabricates, exaggerates or induces serious illness in another person — typically their child — to garner attention.

From Salon

But the Cleveland Clinic reported that a rare 1 percent of people have Munchausen syndrome and two in 100,000 children are thought to be the victims of Munchausen by proxy.

From Salon

Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s attorney said the mother had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.

From Seattle Times

Her mother had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children, said her trial attorney, Michael Stanfield.

From Seattle Times

Hospital staff suspected that her mother was exaggerating the symptoms and demanding high doses of ketamine and sedatives as part of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, according to the Daily Mail.

From Washington Times