Factitous disorders/making up medical problems

I'm looking for help for a daughter of a friend of mine. She is an adult who constantly complains of uncorroborated medical problems. We strongly suspect that she makes these up either to mask other anxieties or to cover up what's otherwise wrong with her. Thanks.

could it be munchausen's? i mean, i'm not saying yay or nay, i'm no expert, it was just the first thing that came to mind.

otherwise, it could be something genuine i guess. i've had CFS/ME and for ages i was told there was nothing wrong, i was making up symptoms etc. it turned out i wasn't! i knew all along.....

either way, hope she's ok - and you too x

As a child, did the daughter lose an adult to illness/death? My mom died when I was 15, and I went to the doctor many times since then, worried about some unidentifiable illness (TSS for some reason was one that worried me often). I still "plan for" accidental death more than my husband or friends think is normal (for example, always have life insurance policies, in case of emergency cards, written instructions to friends, instructions for future owners of my pets, etc). My therapist said it is very common to think the way I do for people who lost a parent when they were children.

Just a thought.

It could be factitious disorder -- sometimes called Munchausen's -- or it could be real physical symptoms that are caused by anxiety, or it could be totally physical. The best help for her is to see a doctor who will take seriously her physical complaints, and yet help her work out to what extent the physical symptoms are related to psychological phenomenon. There are doctors like that out there. They're awfully rare, but they exist.

Next best is to get her into therapy, and from there try to work out what's going on with her. As an adult, that's going to be her call, though.

Another suggestion for her is biofeedback, which can be presented as a way to help her control her physical symptoms.

One word of caution -- coming from someone who nearly died of kidney failure after the doctors told me it was all in my head -- this young woman is going to be pretty fragile right now. She's not being believed, she's having her physical reality invalidated all the way around, and she's not feeling as though anyone is listening. Whatever happens now, for her sake, I really hope that it's done gently, with compassion and understanding for her.

Good luck.

Hi Marta,

Whatever is at the root of it, this young person obviously doesn't feel well in herself. IMHO taking her seriously and listening to her is vital. Sometimes a wise friend or counsellor can get a sense of the problem, over time.

My daughter had a friend who was always having medical exams and allergy tests. Then I saw how her father related with her - ouch! The girl in question left home 3 years ago and now has a happy relationship with a loving and apparently stable guy. The allergy tests? - all forgotten!

That's just one scenario of course, I'm not making any comparisons.

Hope things get sorted out for her.

Myzen.