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HandWiki. Munchausen by Internet. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/33158 (accessed on 26 September 2026).
HandWiki. Munchausen by Internet. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/33158. Accessed September 26, 2026.
HandWiki. "Munchausen by Internet" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/33158 (accessed September 26, 2026).
HandWiki. (2022, November 07). Munchausen by Internet. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/33158
HandWiki. "Munchausen by Internet." Encyclopedia. Web. 07 November, 2022.
Munchausen by Internet
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The content is sourced from: https://handwiki.org/wiki/Social:Munchausen_by_Internet

Munchausen by Internet is a pattern of behavior akin to Munchausen syndrome (renamed factitious disorder imposed on self), a psychiatric disorder, wherein those affected feign disease, illness, or psychological trauma to draw attention, sympathy, or reassurance to themselves. In Munchausen by Internet, users seek attention by feigning illnesses in online venues such as chat rooms, message boards, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). It is different from catfishing, where the person feigns an identity to seek attention by online dating. It has been described in medical literature as a manifestation of factitious disorder imposed on self, or if claiming illness of a child or other family member, factitious disorder imposed on another. Reports of users who deceive Internet forum participants by portraying themselves as gravely ill or as victims of violence first appeared in the 1990s due to the relative newness of Internet communications. The pattern was identified in 1998 by psychiatrist Marc Feldman, who created the term "Münchausen by Internet" in 2000. It is not included in the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The development of factitious disorders in online venues is made easier by the availability of medical literature on the Internet, the anonymous and malleable nature of online identities, and the existence of communication forums established for the sole purpose of giving support to members facing significant health or psychological problems. Several high-profile cases have demonstrated behavior patterns which are common among those who pose as gravely ill or as victims of violence, or whose deaths are announced to online forums. The virtual communities that were created to give support, as well as general non-medical communities, often express genuine sympathy and grief for the purported victims. When fabrications are suspected or confirmed, the ensuing discussion can create schisms in online communities, destroying some and altering the trusting nature of individual members in others.

virtual communities psychological trauma health

References

  1. "'Virtual' Factitious Disorders and Munchausen by Proxy". Western Journal of Medicine 168 (6): 537–540. Jun 1998. PMID 9656006.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1305082
  2. Factitious disorders , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR (Psychiatry Online). Retrieved on July 28, 2009. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=9658
  3. McDermott, Barbara E.; Leamon, Martin H.; Feldman, Marc D.; Scott, Charles L. Chapter 14. Factitious Disorder and Malingering: Factitious disorder , Textbook of Psychiatry (Psychiatry Online). Retrieved on August 18, 2009. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=297551&searchStr=munchausen+syndrome#297551
  4. Appendix B: Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study: Factitious disorder by proxy , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR (Psychiatry Online). Retrieved on August 18, 2009. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=5410&searchStr=factitious+disorder+by+proxy
  5. Feldman MD (July 2000). "Munchausen by Internet: detecting factitious illness and crisis on the Internet". South. Med. J. 93 (7): 669–72. doi:10.1097/00007611-200093070-00006. PMID 10923952.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2F00007611-200093070-00006
  6. Shreve, Jenn (June 6, 2001). "They Think They Feel Your Pain", Wired.com. Retrieved on July 28, 2009. https://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2001/06/44245
  7. Stephenson, Joan (October 21, 1998). "Patient Pretenders Weave Tangled "Web" of Deceit". Journal of the American Medical Association, 280:1297. Archived from the original on December 15, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041215195902/http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/280/15/1297. Retrieved July 28, 2009. 
  8. Grady, Denise (April 23, 1998)."Faking Pain and Suffering In Internet Support Groups", The New York Times, Retrieved on July 28, 2009. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/23/technology/faking-pain-and-suffering-in-internet-support-groups.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
  9. Swains, Howard (March 25, 2009). "Q&A: Munchausen by Internet" , Wired.com. Retrieved on July 28, 2009. https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-03/24/qa-munchausen-by-internet.aspx
  10. Russo, Francine (June 26, 2001). "Cybersickness: Munchausen by Internet Breeds a Generation of Fakers", The Village Voice. Retrieved on July 28, 2009. http://www.villagevoice.com/2001-06-26/news/cybersickness/1
  11. Johnson, Bobbie (May 28, 2001)."The Short Life of Kaycee Nicole", The Guardian . Retrieved on July 28, 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2001/may/28/internetnews.mondaymediasection/print
  12. See also: Jones, Steve Computer-Mediated Communication and Community: Introduction : Introductory chapter to CyberSociety (1995), Sage Publications. Retrieved on August 16, 2009. http://info.comm.uic.edu/jones/cybersoc.html
  13. Joinson Adam, Dietz-Uhler Beth (2002). "Explanations for the Perpetration of and Reactions to Deception in a Virtual Community". Social Science Computer Review 20: 275–289. doi:10.1177/08939302020003005.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F08939302020003005
  14. See also Danet, B., Ruedenberg, L., & Rosenbaum-Tamari, Y. (1998). " 'Hmmm ... Where’s that smoke coming from?' Writing, Play and Performance on Internet Relay Chat. In F. Sudweeks, M. McLaughlin, & S. Rafaeli (Eds.), Network and Netplay: Virtual Groups on the Internet (pp. 41-76). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  15. Caspi Avner, Gorsky Paul (2006). "Online Deception: Prevalence, Motivation, and Emotion". CyberPsychology & Behavior 9: 54–59. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9.54. PMID 16497118.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1089%2Fcpb.2006.9.54
  16. Stein, Anne (February 23, 2003). "Fakers Invading Online Support - It Comes at the Expense of Ailing People Who Rely on Help From Groups", The Chicago Tribune, p. 8.
  17. Associated, The (2001-05-26). "Girl's illness was Web hoax; The Topeka Capital-Journal; May 26, 2001". Cjonline.com. http://cjonline.com/stories/052601/kan_webhoax.shtml. Retrieved 2014-03-01. 
  18. Du Venage, Gavin (July 12, 2003). "Virtual Illness", The Weekend Australian, p. C13.
  19. Swains, Howard (June 17, 2009). "Reports of My Death", Wired.com. Retrieved on July 28, 2009. https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-03/24/reports-of-my-death.aspx?lsd
  20. Feldman Marc, Peychers M.E. (2007). "Legal Issues Surrounding the Exposure of 'Munchausen by Internet'". Psychosomatics 48 (5): 451–452. doi:10.1176/appi.psy.48.5.451-a.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1176%2Fappi.psy.48.5.451-a
  21. Kruse, Michael (February 28, 2010). "Death and Betrayal in Chat Room", The St. Petersburg Times (Florida), p. 1A.
  22. Todd, Belinda (October 21, 2002). "Faking It" , New Zealand PC World Magazine. Retrieved on July 29, 2009. http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/ht/00547454259E27A3CC256C520079F1F9
  23. Swains, Howard (March 5, 2007). "Fake deaths thriving: Online tragedy can be greatly exaggerated", The Gazette (Montreal), p. D1.
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