Psychiatry and Psychology

Munchausen Syndrome

A factitious disorder characterized by habitual presentation for hospital treatment of an apparent acute illness, the patient giving a plausible and dramatic history, all of which is false.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A factitious disorder characterized by habitual presentation for hospital treatment of an apparent acute illness, the patient giving a plausible and dramatic history, all of which is false.

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Classification

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See Also

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Synonyms

9 entry terms
  • Hospital-Addiction Syndrome
  • Munchhausen Syndrome
  • Syndrome, Hospital-Addiction
  • Hospital Addiction Syndrome
  • Hospital-Addiction Syndromes
  • Syndrome, Hospital Addiction
  • Syndrome, Munchausen
  • Syndrome, Munchhausen
  • Syndromes, Hospital-Addiction

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

31 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemically induced, classification, complications, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, diet therapy, drug therapy, economics, enzymology, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, genetics, history, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, mortality, nursing, parasitology, pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control, psychology, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, urine, virology.

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Indexing Annotation

dis symptoms fabricated by a person seeking hospitalization repeatedly; MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME BY PROXY is available

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History Note

68(64)

MeSH Hierarchy

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NLM Classification

WM 178

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Munchausen Syndrome. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D009110. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D009110
  2. Munchausen Syndrome. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factitious_disorder_imposed_on_self
  3. Munchausen Syndrome. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q642598