What Is Munchausen Syndrome?
Do You Know Anyone With Munchausen Syndrome?
Have you heard of this mental health disorder? If you haven’t you have possibly heard of people doing this certain behavior and wondered why they do it. Unfortunately people suffering with Munchausen Syndrome need treatment and not the treatment they are trying to get.
Munchausen Syndrome
WebMD explain the symptoms below:
What Are the Symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome?
People with Munchausen syndrome deliberately produce or exaggerate symptoms in several ways. They may lie about or fake symptoms, hurt themselves to bring on symptoms, or alter tests (such as contaminating a urine sample). Possible warning signs of Munchausen syndrome include:
- Dramatic but inconsistent medical history
- Unclear symptoms that are not controllable and that become more severe or change once treatment has begun
- Predictable relapses following improvement in the condition
- Extensive knowledge of hospitals and/or medical terminology, as well as the textbook descriptions of illnesses
- Presence of multiple surgical scars
- Appearance of new or additional symptoms following negative test results
- Presence of symptoms only when the patient is with others or being observed
- Willingness or eagerness to have medical tests, operations, or other procedures
- History of seeking treatment at numerous hospitals, clinics, and doctors offices, possibly even in different cities
- Reluctance by the patient to allow doctors to meet with or talk to family, friends, or prior doctors
- Problems with identity and self-esteem.
You can read more about this article here: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/munchausen-syndrome
I also found this video you may find very interesting.
Munchausen Syndrome Video
Maybe you do know of someone with this disorder. If you do please leave your comments below. It is a problem that is not talked about as much as other disorders, such as anxiety and depression, but it exists nonetheless.
If you liked this article please let me know by leaving your feedback and comments!
3 Types of OCD Spectrum Disorders
Types of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
There are a few different kinds of OCD spectrum disorders, all of which involve some kind of obsessive behavior. However, each of these obsessive compulsive disorders requires a specific method of treatment, thus it is very important to identify exactly which one is being experienced.
OCD - Handwashing
In addition to ordinary OCD, there are also other disorders that are very similar and these are known as OCD spectrum disorders.
Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD is quite a common condition that millions of people suffer from. It is manifested mainly through the repetitive rituals that people use in an attempt to stop obsessive thoughts.
One common symptom people can associate with, is continual handwashing. This is just one example of OCD and the types of symptoms exhibited.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
This is a disorder wherein the person will be obsessed about certain flaws or problems in their physical appearance. Usually, the person would look perfectly fine to other people because there really aren’t any problems with how they look. If there are indeed some flaws, these are very minor and hardly noticeable.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop the person from obsessing about these so-called imperfections in their body. Some may stand in front of the mirror for hours just looking at the problem, while others may avoid mirrors entirely so they won’t have to see the flaw.
If you would like more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder
Trichotillomania
The most typical symptom of trichotillomania is the compulsive pulling out of one’s own hair, especially when faced with highly stressful or traumatic situations. Oftentimes, the person will not even be fully conscious that he is pulling out his own hair.
The best way to treat trichotillomania is by helping the person realize that he is doing it. Once they become aware of this habit, it will be easier for them to restrain themselves from doing it in the future. More serious conditions, however, may be treated using therapy or possibly hypnosis.
Hypochondria
One of the most frequently reported OCD spectrum disorders, hypochondria is the condition where a person sincerely believes that he is sick or injured, even if he is actually in the best of health.
There are times when there really are some symptoms, leading the person to believe that he is very sick. But oftentimes, they automatically assume the worst instead of seeing a doctor first or examining the symptoms closely. Cognitive behavior therapy works well for people suffering from hypochondria, as well as many other types of OCD spectrum disorders.
Obsessive compulsive disorders are a very unpleasant disorder to have. Finding relief is something that many do not know is even possible. There are medications, behavioral therapy and natural OCD medicines depending on the problem.
