Mental Illness and the facts

What is mental illness?

Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.

Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible.

Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.

In addition to medication treatment, psycho-social treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups and other community services can also be components of a treatment plan and that assist with recovery. The availability of transportation, diet, exercise, sleep, friends and meaningful paid or volunteer activities contribute to overall health and wellness, including mental illness recovery. more

Zooey Deschanel – Munchausen By Proxy “Sweet Ballad” – Yes Man Soundtrack Album

Lyrics

Got nothin’ to prove
I’m not your whore
You’re gonna lose
‘Cause I got more
Not sure
You can endure

I’m not your little
I’m not your little
I’m not your little whore

I’m not your late nite booty call
(Whore, no more)
Don’t call me past 11 pm it won’t happen again
(Whore, whore, whore)
I’m not your late nite booty call
(Whore, no more)
Don’t call me past 11 pm it won’t happen again

Like a scab that won’t heal
Just another sore
Lost face in the crowd
Such a lonely bore

Don’t call me past 11 pm
It won’t happen again
It happened once, it happened twice
It happened three times
Maybe four times
Maybe five times
Maybe, maybe it happened six times
But it won’t happen seven times
No, no, no, ni, no

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Deschanel Zooey Clare / Harris Kelly Anne / Kupersmith Rebecca Jill / Meador Jillian Iva

Artist: Munchausen by Proxy

Album: Yes Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Released: 2008

Sweet Ballad lyrics © Roynet Music, Zo, Warner Olive Music Llc.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

What is Munchausen syndrome by proxy?

Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) is a mental illness. It is also a form of child abuse. It affects caregivers, especially caregivers of children. It is also known as factitious disorder by proxy. Mothers of small children are most often affected by this condition. Fathers or other caregivers can have it as well.

Someone suffering from MSP will act as though the person under his or her care is sick. They often will falsify medical information. They may lie to medical professionals about the health or condition of the person in their care. They do this to gain sympathy or for attention.

Someone who has MSP may purposely take action to make their child sick. They knowingly will expose the child to painful or risky medical procedures, even surgeries. They may deliberately create symptoms in a child. They can do this by withholding food, poisoning or suffocating the child, giving the child inappropriate medicines, or withholding prescribed medicines. Creating these situations can put the child at extreme risk.

Common illnesses or symptoms that caregivers take MSP victims to the doctor for include:

Failure to thrive
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Seizures
Breathing difficulty and asthma
Infections
Allergic reactions
Fevers of unknown origins
Other illnesses that require immediate emergency care

Those with MSP are not discouraged by the cost of medical treatments. They don’t worry about how they will manage the bills. Instead, they believe driving up a large hospital bill reinforces the perception that they are doing everything they can for their child. They think others will see them as even better caretakers. read more

Factitious Disorders

Factitious disorder is a mental disorder in which a person acts as if they have a physical or psychological illness when they themselves have created the symptoms. People with this disorder are willing to undergo painful or risky tests to get sympathy and special attention.

What is factitious disorder?

Factitious disorder is a serious mental health disorder in which a person appears sick or produces physical or mental illness. People with factitious disorder deliberately produce symptoms of an illness for the purpose of receiving care and attention in a medical setting. The symptoms aren’t intended to get them practical benefits — the gain is believed to be mainly psychological.

Factitious disorder is considered a mental illness. It’s associated with severe emotional difficulties and patients’ likelihood of harming themselves by continuing to produce more symptoms, resulting in getting themselves unnecessary procedures and surgeries.

What are the types of factitious disorder?

Factitious disorders are of two types:

Factitious disorder imposed on self: This type includes the falsifying of psychological or physical signs or symptoms. An example of a psychological factitious disorder is mimicking behavior that is typical of a mental illness, such as schizophrenia. The person may appear confused, make absurd statements, and report hallucinations (the experience of sensing things that are not there; for example, hearing voices).
Factitious disorder imposed on another: People with this disorder produce or fabricate symptoms of illness in others under their care: children, elderly adults, disabled persons or pets. It most often occurs in mothers (although it can occur in fathers) who intentionally harm their children in order to receive attention. The diagnosis is not given to the victim, but rather to the perpetrator. read more