Many people with Munchausen's syndrome refuse to co-operate with any sort of psychiatric treatment or psychological profiling. Because of this, there is little available evidence about the possible causes of the condition.
Theories
There are two main theories about the root cause of Munchausen's syndrome. The condition may be the result of:
- emotional trauma (deeply upsetting experiences) that occurred during a person’s childhood
- a personality disorder: a mental health condition that causes patterns of abnormal thinking and behaviour
The two theories are discussed in more detail below.
Childhood trauma
Some experts have suggested that many cases of Munchausen's syndrome may be the result of parental neglect and abandonment, resulting in feelings of considerable childhood trauma.
As a result of this trauma, a person may have unresolved issues with their parents that cause them to fake illness. They may do this for a number of reasons, for example because they have:
- a compulsion to punish themselves (masochism) by making themselves ill because they feel unworthy
- a need to feel important and be the centre of attention
- a need to pass responsibility for their wellbeing and care onto other people
There is also some evidence to suggest that people who have had extensive medical procedures, or received prolonged medical attention during childhood or adolescence, are more likely to develop Munchausen's syndrome when they are older.
This may be because they associate their childhood memories with a sense of being cared for. As they get older they try to obtain the same feelings of reassurance by pretending to be ill.
Personality disorders
There is some evidence that many people with Munchausen's syndrome have a personality disorder.
Personality disorders are a type of mental health condition where an individual has a distorted pattern of thoughts and beliefs about themselves and others. This leads them to behave in ways that most people would regard as disturbed and abnormal.
One theory is that there may be people with Munchausen's syndrome who have an antisocial personality disorder that causes them to take pleasure in manipulating and deceiving doctors. They may see doctors as authority figures and by tricking them it may give them a sense of power and control.
