Munchausen syndrome

American  

[muhn-chou-zuhn sin-drohm, muhnch-hou-zuhn] / ˈmʌnˌtʃaʊ zən ˌsɪn droʊm, ˈmʌntʃˌhaʊ zən /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of Munchausen syndrome

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Munchausen syndrome

Additional layers of Blanchard's personal story and her experience as a survivor of Munchausen syndrome by proxy continue to be revealed in the docuseries and a new eBook.

From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2024

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 ● Jan. 2, 2024

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 ● Nov. 9, 2023

Prof Marc Feldman is one of the world's most renowned experts on factitious disorders like Munchausen syndrome.

From BBC ● May 7, 2023

Deutch spoke with The Times about her musical lineage, her on-screen appetites, and the spate of Munchausen syndrome by proxy stories to appear on TV of late.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2019