On The Media: Munchausen

Physical: Taryn Harper Wright tries to stop people from raising money for people with fake illnesses and fake tragedies. She contacts these people, and confronts them about the issues. Some of the people, she even became friends with. Munchausen syndrome is when somebody makes themselves physically sick in order to get attention from doctors, or loved ones. Munchausen by proxy is when someone tries to get attention by making a loved one sick.

Psychological: Sometimes people start these campaign’s for the money, some for attention. People see these campaign’s online, and unlike Wright, don’t do the research before they donate. People with Munchausen syndrome often times look to the internet for support. The internet is such an anonymous place, and so it’s really easy for these people to join support groups, and seek support from people that they don’t know, and that don’t know what is really going on with them.

Temporal: As they said in the broadcast, this is a psychiatric condition that was understood before the age of the internet, in the mid nineteenth century. Though this syndrome was not created by the internet, it has become another tool for people with Munchausen Syndrome to use.

Cultural: It seems to me like a lot of people would think that these people are lying, and see them as dishonest, untrustworthy people. But as Wright suggests, these people are not terrible people, and we’ll never fully understand what they’re going through. From what Wright explains of the syndrome, it seems like a serious psychological disorder, and more than often, professional help is needed to sort through those problems.

I’ve actually watched a few documentaries about this Syndrome, and an episode of Dr. Phil (don’t judge me) where he basically interrogates a woman with Munchausen Syndrome. To me, it saddens me that people feel the need to resort to lying about their physical state, and in extreme cases actually harm themselves in order to get attention. It really sounds like all of these people just need a friend. Someone to listen. I don’t think that it’s right when they raise money for fake illnesses. That, to me, qualifies as stealing. I think this topic brings to light the fact that people should do their research before donating money toward any cause or charity.