Munchausen's Syndrome and Related Disorders: An Introduction for

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03cdedc2ddualp.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQs"><U><B>FAQs</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Dr. Silverman"><U><B>About Dr. Silverman</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great links"><U><B>Great links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Mind Reader© archive"><U><B>The Mind Reader© archive</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="03d64643.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></FONT>    |     <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Munchausen's Syndrome and Related Disorders: An Introduction for </div> <bR> <div> Malingering is the <U>intentional</U> manipulation of symptoms for financial gain or to avoid responsibility. Several widely used personality tests are constructed to assess such faking including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. There is a relatively large body of research addressing the problem of identifying malingering. I believe, however, that the easiest way to identify malingering is through common sense. If it sounds unbelieveable, it probably is unbelieveable. </div> <div> Quite frankly the story of a malingerer is perposterous. It is rare that he/she does not either wildly exaggerate or offer details that are not consistent with what we know to be psychological or medical fact. Consider the recent story of the "Daffy Don," a gangster whose attorneys are pleading that he is incompetent/insane. He dresses in a bathrobe and slippers and has a disheveled appearance enahanced by his uncombed hair and unshaven face. The allegation, however, are that he has conducted business as usual and that he has been observed meeting with associates and playing cards.  </div> <div> There are two classes of disorders that may present in a similar fashion to malingering but are in fact very different. The first is called a fictitious disorder. This is the intentional manipulation of symptoms to gain attention from friends, family, or doctors. Another name for the disorder is Munchausen's syndrome. These individuals will go to such great lengths for attention that some may even undergo multiple unneeded surgeries.      </div> <bR> <div> The second class of psychological disorders associated with symptoms but no objective illness or injury are somatoform disorders. Here the individual is not consciously aware that his/her symptoms are psychological nor is he/she faking. In essence these symptoms are "real" at the psychological level even though there is no physical basis for their display.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>