This refers to a mental disorder that causes people to resort to feigning physical or mental illness in order to draw the attention of others. Patients affected by the syndrome could often resort to a variety of deceitful tactics, including hurting themselves deliberately, to portray themselves as sick and in need of the help and sympathy of others. The Munchausen syndrome was proposed by British physician Richard Asher in 1951 in an article that drew attention to patients who lied to doctors. It is named after the literary character Baron Munchausen who is portrayed as creating exaggerated stories of adventure to entertain his guests.
