Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Aug 2014
ReviewMunchausen syndrome and Munchausen syndrome by proxy in dermatology.
Patients with Munchausen syndrome purposefully injure themselves, often with the injection of foreign materials, to gain hospital admission and the attention associated with having a difficult-to-identify condition. Munchausen syndrome by proxy occurs when a child's caregiver, typically the mother, injures the child for the same reasons. ⋯ At the center of both conditions is significant psychological pathology and treatment is difficult as many patients with Munchausen syndrome when confronted with these diagnostic possibilities simply leave the hospital. Little is known about the long-term outcome or prognosis of these patients.