Munchausen syndrome: a case of spontaneous confession of the simulation of signs and symptoms

Abstract

Munchausen's syndrome (MS) occurs when the individual produces signs and symptoms of a disease or injury. They are reports of multiple medical problems with an inconsistent history and an altered behavior, as well as a psychological obligation to adopt the role of the patient, without obvious gains or incentives. A case is described in which the diagnosis was made from the spontaneous confession of the patient of which signs and symptoms were simulated, besides strange body ingestion with the desire to undergo surgery and the sudden change in behavior and speech. The diagnosis is rare, so the study aims to collaborate to broaden the range of knowledge about MS. It was concluded that MS may have been triggered by psychological traumas, as well as a historic of affective deprivation and ill-treatment of people from their conviviality. Thus, the hospital environment becomes the place where the patient finds the desired reception.