Jay,

I wondered myself and went looking on the internet. I found this web page
 <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Marc_Feldman_2/>
It was very informative. In case you don't have access to the internet
(and I know what fun it is to access through aol!), here is a brief
decription from that page:

"I (Dr. Marc Feldman) am a psychiatrist and author from Birmingham,
Alabama. Munchausen syndrome is the most severe & chronic form of my area
of specialty, the factitious disorders. Factitious disorders are
well-recognized among psychiatrists, but they have not received the
attention--or advocacy among consumers, families, and professionals--that
have greeted more common ailments such as depression. However, factitious
disorders can be every bit as disabling and further public and
professional education are vital.

People with factitious disorders feign, exaggerate, or actually
self-induce illnesses. Their aim? To assume the status of "patient," and
thereby to win attention, nurturance, and lenience that they feel unable
to obtain in any other way. Unlike individuals who "malinger," people
with factitious disorders are not primarily seeking external gains such
as disability payments or narcotic drugs-- though they may receive them
nonetheless.

In the variation known as "MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME BY PROXY" (MSBP), an
individual makes another person sick in order to accrue the same
gains--but this time vicariously.

What do patients with factitious disorders and Munchausen syndrome by
proxy do? They deliberately mislead others into thinking they (or their
children) have serious medical or psychological problems, often resulting
in extraordinary numbers of medication trials, diagnostic tests,
hospitalizations, and even surgery . . . that they know aren't really
needed. In short, factitious disorders involve "disease forgery.""

Charlotte Esau, LLL Leader, Olathe, KS
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