Difficulties in diagnosing the factitious disorder with multiple repeat episodes and polymorphic symptoms

Abstract

For purposes of illustrating the difficulties of diagnosing, making the differential diagnosis and treating the factitious disorder known as the Munchhausen syndrome (F68.1), this article submits the description of a clinical case not diagnosed by a neurologist, internist or psychiatrist. We point out the absence of official statistical reporting of this disorder. We demonstrate the diagnostic difficulties linked to the dramatic presentation and acceptance of the patient role, the somatoform and the multi-faceted features of the syndrome, the variety and the variability of the symptoms, feigning and intentionally producing them, imitating urgent cases, not fearing surgical interventions, etc. We submit the differential diagnosis and the tactics for treating patients with this pathology.