Munchausen's syndrome

British  

noun

1. a mental disorder in which a patient feigns illness to obtain hospital treatment

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Example Sentences

In 1951, British physician Richard Asher described three cases of what he called Munchausen’s syndrome — named after a fictional character who told absurd tall tales about his many adventures — in the Lancet.

From Washington Post • Jun. 20, 2016

Psychiatrists say the killers commonly suffer from a variant of Munchausen's syndrome, a bizarre mental condition that impels people to feign or induce illness in order to get care and nurturing from doctors and hospitals.

From Time Magazine Archive

Her behavior has been ascribed to Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, in which mothers secretly make their children sick to win attention.

From Time Magazine Archive

Indeed Mcllroy seems beyond doubt to be the alltime champion sufferer of Munchausen's syndrome.

From Time Magazine Archive

This is one of those strange concepts like Munchausen’s syndrome, where you make yourself sick to get people to notice you.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley