Munchausen by Internet

Munchausen syndrome is a factitious disorder in which sufferers fake, exacerbate, exaggerate or even manually produce symptoms of actual illnesses. The reason for this is typically attention. It is not a fraud done to gain money or free treatment. It is all about the satisfaction of having someone's emotions become involved with the fraud. There is at least one other form of the syndrome known as Munchausen by proxy which is garnering attention by faking the illness of others, sometimes by actually making them ill. There may also be one more form of Munchausen that is gaining interest since the advent of the internet because it requires use of the internet. It is known as Munchausen by internet.

The internet is a virtual place where people can meet perfect strangers and strike up conversations. They may even strike up close relationships with people online. Because the internet makes communication so easy, such things as dating websites, interest-oriented chats and even support groups have cropped up all over the internet where people can talk to other people from all over the world. This is the perfect setting for someone with Munchausen by internet. There is relative anonymity and a seemingly endless selection of chat rooms and potential emotional victims.

Anyone who spends a significant amount of time in chat rooms has come across someone who is talking about their own illnesses or simply stating, "I won't be around for a while because I am ill. I'll be back in a bit." No one really thinks twice about this, as this is a common interaction in both the "real world" and the internet. However, every now and then a person comes along who seems quite normal at first. She may choose a random chat room or a support group chat room where ill people are more common. She seems knowledgeable about the illness of which she complains. No one questions her, even as her claims get more and more bizarre. Doctors are mistreating her. Secondary infections are ravaging her body.

One day, a friend or family member comes on and says she is in the hospital. The online community expresses their well wishes. New members claiming to be real life friends come on if a member of the community seems suspicious. They seem to crop up when the increasingly ill member is being called out or not getting as much attention. After months or even years of this, she slips up. She has stretched her story and her online base too thin. People in the community have access to her social networks and see her online when she is supposed to be in the hospital. The other personas that are supposed to be friends and family accidentally post answers to questions directed at these other personas. She is slipping up. She has created all of these identities to support her story and now she is revealing herself as a Munchausen by internet sufferer. She is called out and acts indignant, but eventually disappears.

The above scenario is a classic description of Munchausen by internet. Mental health professionals are up in the air as to whether it is a separate disorder than Munchausen, but it is nearly certain that, at the very least, people who suffer from Munchausen have found a convenient outlet for their disorder on the internet. It even keeps them from having to induce symptoms for sympathy. Even Munchausen by proxy has found a home on the internet with people claiming their children are ill or have even died.

Unfortunately, little research has been done on the all too common phenomenon because of the anonymity of the internet. These people disappear to haunt other chat rooms, rarely, if ever, revealing their true selves. Do they fake illnesses in real life too? Do their families know what they are doing? The thing is that Munchausen and Munchausen by proxy are typically aimed at getting attention from the medical community and people close to sufferers. There is no way of knowing if people with Munchausen by internet are doing that and simply getting extra kicks online.

Signs of Munchausen by internet

Person is online on other sites when they are supposed to be in the hospital.

Person seems unusually chipper for someone who has an ill or recently deceased child.

New members or members that joined around the same time seem always to come to this person's defense.

Multiple family members also have accounts on the site and will be online for long periods talking about supposed new developments in the "sick" member's illness.

These family members and friends have identical posting patterns and grammar mistakes, consistently.

A great deal of horrible things happen to the person, illness related or not. Some seem far-fetched. (Remember: Life is horrible for some people, so this is no reason to accuse someone of lying.)

Person claims to be going through medical emergencies, such as seizures and shock, while posting. Most people would shut off the computer and call 911.

Sadly, many sick people out there have to seek support on the internet. They should be able to without judgment. People who suffer from Munchausen by internet are taking away from the support actually sick people could be getting. Many online chatters are slow to lend emotional support because they are aware of these pretenders. Luckily, the clues listed above are good indications you are being had, though it is best to simply ignore them rather then call them out, just in case they aren't Munchausen sufferers. Who wants to accuse a woman with cancer of being a liar?

Sources

Kleeman, Jenny, Sick Note: Faking Illnesses Online, retrieved 7/19/11, guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/26/faking-illness-online-munchausen