Munchausen by Internet

Munchausen by Internet is a type of factitious disorder which utilizes the Internet's easy access to a broad audience. It is not recognized by the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The term was coined by Marc D Feldman, M.D. [ [http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/chronic/faking.html Marc D Feldman, M.D. describes Munchausen by Internet] ] , in 2000. It specifically relates to Munchausen Syndrome - where a sufferer fakes or induces illness to gain attention and sympathy - and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP), where the sufferer creates fake illnesses in others, or physically harms others. Sufferers of MSbP are often parents who inflict fake illnesses on their child, or children.

Munchausen by Internet provides a twist on MSbP in that the sufferer not only invents the illness but sometimes also invents the people involved. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE3D7163FF930A15757C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print New York Times: Faking Pain and Suffering In Internet Support Groups] ] Munchausen By Internet has also been described as virtual factitious disorder [Feldman, Bibby, & Crites, 1998] and cyberMunch.

Notable cases of Munchausen by Internet

Two well known cases in the USA and the UK highlight the different behaviours of Munchausen by Internet. For two years, the young American girl who called herself "Kaycee Nicole" recounted her brave struggle against leukaemia in a daily online diary until she supposedly died. Thousands of web-users sent condolences. [ [http://soundoff.pbwiki.com/Kaycee%20Nicole A full collection of Kaycee Nicole posts and other related links is collected in a single article.] ] But the 19-year-old from Kansas was discovered to be the invention of 40-year-old Debbie Swenson. As reported in Wired [ [http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2001/06/44245 Wired: They Think They Feel Your Pain] ] , bereavement counselor Pam Cohen was spurred by the Swenson hoax to investigate Munchausen's by Internet and expose it to a wider audience.

In another case, a woman who called herself "Anna" claimed her husband had been killed in a plane crash to garner sympathy. Her claims, made between 1998 and 2000, were to a private email group rather than the Internet at large. [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0126,russo,25810,1.html Village Voice: Cybersickness] ]

Detection and identification

The most successful way to detect a fake is by cross-referencing statements for inconsistencies, and checking the validity of their medical claims.

Inconsistencies: Kaycee Nicole was exposed after suspicious members cross-checked claims on the websites of Kaycee and Debbie Swenson (Kaycee's creator). Inconsistent "facts" then encouraged investigators to make their claims public [ [http://becky-says.diaryland.com/20010520.html Becky Says: Recalling the discovery of the Kaycee fraud] ] .

References

External hyperlinks

[http://www.ashermeadow.com/ AsherMeadow - providing support for Munchausen sufferers]
[http://soundoff.pbwiki.com/Kaycee%20Nicole The Kaycee Nicole story in full]