Munchausens By Multiples

Hi,
I have a question.

Is it possible for a Munchausens sufferers "drug of choice" to be children?
What I mean is, Is it possible (have you heard of cases) of women faking infertility or self dosing with Fertility Drugs specifically to get pregnant with Multiples so that they get more attention to themselves by being the mother of multiples?

Ive also heard that there is a higher instance of mothers of multiples being narcissistic....

Any remarks are welcome.

TY

Yes, I would think so. Here's an article regarding a similar situation.

Munchausen syndrome is thought to be a very rare type of factitious disorder where a person fakes, exaggerates or self induces an illness to get attention. Another disorder, Munchausen by Proxy syndrome (not a DSM-IV diagnosis), involves a parent or care-giver deliberately fabricating or even inducing an illness in her child or someone in her care so that she can play the role of worried parent.

Munchausen statistics
There are no reliable statistics on Munchausen or Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. Moreover, because factitious disorders are rooted in a behavior of lying it is very difficult to estimate how many cases are never detected. Munchausen by Proxy is a form of child abuse. It is not a recognized DSM-IV mental health illness but rather it is considered a type of abuse based on the care-giver’s desire for attention.

Munchausen by “Preemie” Syndrome
Munchausen by “Preemie” syndrome (not a DSM-IV diagnosis), is a description of a type of woman who desires attention for having a difficult pregnancy or having a premature baby. These women will exaggerate symptoms of labor, make repeated trips to the emergency room, take unnecessary medications, or even go so far as to create artificial contractions.

In one case, a woman used her abdominal muscles to tighten her abdominal wall and create what appeared to be contractions on the monitor. Health care providers often rely on monitoring to diagnose preterm labor. In this case, when her doctor investigated further, he discovered that she was not having uterine contractions. This was confirmed by manually palpating (or feeling) her uterus and abdomen during her contractions. Her contractions also looked contrived on the monitor. The patterns were two to three minutes apart but the contraction would start suddenly and then end suddenly.

Reasons to be suspicous

*Exaggerates frequently, is immature, or seems to be attention-needy
*May be preoccupied with premature babies, twins or other rarities.
*Visits the emergency room without calling physician first, visits during weekends and evening hours.
*Visits emergency room numerous times during pregnancy without evidence of cervical changes (Since uterine contractions can occur without cervical changes this is not always an indicator)
*Has extensive knowledge on medical information or works in the medical profession
*May become angry or hostile with nurses, doctors, or other health care providers, especially if she is feels she is not believed
*May begin to complain about new pregnancy complications if lab work and testing on original complaints prove negative

Other things to Consider

Preterm labor is a legitimate fear for women during pregnancy. Many women confuse braxton hicks contractions for real labor. Therefore, many women could be thought to be fabricating preterm labor, when in fact, they are truly worried. It is difficult to assess what is going on in someone else’s mind. A woman could be visiting the emergency room because she is truly fearful and worried. Even if she is not having real contractions, she could feasibly think that she is. What is difficult to determine is whether or not a woman is deliberately pretending to be in labor or if she is just a victim of pregnancy worrying. In either case, proper medical attention is needed to rule out any possible concerns.

Disclaimer: Munchausen by Preemie Syndrome is a term we have coined to describe a type of woman who desires attention for having a difficult pregnancy or having a premature baby. This is not a DSM-IV diagnosis.

http://www.justmommies.com/articles/...rm-labor.shtml

Just wanted to add this too.

Factitious disorders are conditions in which a person acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick. Factitious disorder by proxy is when a person acts as if a person in their care has an illness when they do not.

People with factitious disorders deliberately create or exaggerate symptoms of an illness in several ways. They may lie about or fake symptoms, hurt themselves to bring on symptoms, or alter tests (such as contaminating a urine sample) to make it look like they or the person in their care are sick.

People with factitious disorders behave this way because of an inner need to be seen as ill or injured, not to achieve a clear benefit, such as financial gain. People with factitious disorders are even willing to undergo painful or risky tests and operations in order to obtain the sympathy and special attention given to people who are truly ill or have a loved one who is ill. Factitious disorders are considered mental illnesses because they are associated with severe emotional difficulties.

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/factitious-disorders

OMG, I was offended when someone said this about me, but it's true! WTH is wrong with me? Who does **** like that? And since I was a little kid, too! Is there a way to fix it?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Don't know if there is a way to "fix" this. My guess. . . I'm not a professional. . . would be a psychological injury that you are not aware of, because the awareness is so painful. At any rate, seems like a good therapist who understands the disorder could help. Good luck!!