Munchausen syndrome: A review and new conceptualization

For more than 40 years, the literature on Munchausen syndrome has primarily focused on presenting cases describing the often intriguing and tragic experiences of individuals who have presented to hospitals with self-inflicted illnesses. Due to the nature of this disorder, many patients are never seen by psychological or psychiatric personnel, and thus, assessment results and preferred treatment options are understandably limited. Despite the paucity of research conducted with patients diagnosed with Munchausen syndrome, etiological models for this disorder have been proposed, notably object relations and psychodynamic theories. Although both models present rationales for the development of this disorder, the two theories fail to account for several aspects of the disorder. In this article, an overview of Munchausen syndrome and existing theories is presented. In addition, a diathesis-stress model of Munchausen syndrome is proposed with future directions for research.