Münchausen syndrome (factitious disorder imposed one oneself) is more than feigning/self-inducing symptoms! It’s also:
• Severe emotional difficulties
• Feelings shame & remorse
• Which lead to sense of worthlessness and suicidal ideation
• And make it difficult to get help
• Along with fear of being misunderstood
• Obsessive thoughts and desire of making yourself sick on purpose that cause severe emotional distress yet being unable to get rid out of them
• Regretting lying/ making damage to your body but being unable to stop
• Restlessness and anxiety
• Underlying causes such as depression, personality disorder or history of abuse that make it particularly difficult to identify and treat
• Having other unhealthy coping mechanisms, like disordered eating, cutting, reckless behaviors etc
• Huge stigma attached to it, that makes it hard to get proper diagnosis and treatment, and makes one feel worse about yourself
• Being more vulnerable to harassment and cyber bullying
• Having hard time dealing with health care professionals
• Dependent/avoidant behaviors
• Skipping (regrettably) school/work/social events
• Which make it hard to perform and therefore finish a school, keep a job or maintain friendships
• Social and relationships difficulties
• Negative impact on one’s health, that can include permanent, irreversible damage to one’s body, disability, and even death