title: A visitor with Munchausen's syndrome.
abstract: The arrival on the hospital ward of a person who was fabricating an illness was an unsettling experience for the medical and nursing staff involved. As the patient was expected only to be present for a short time and claimed to have a proven diagnosis, the approach may have been less rigorous than usual. The article describes the experience of three members of staff with a patient who proved to have Munchausen's syndrome, and their reaction to discovering the truth.
authors.affiliation: Airedale General Hospital, Keighley, West Yorkshire. Michael.Crawford@anhst.nhs.uk
authors.forename: S Michael
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Ganesan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jeyasanger
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D008192:Deception; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009110:Munchausen Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000175:diagnosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis