How common is Munchausens syndrome?
It is not known exactly how common Munchausen’s syndrome is. Some experts believe that Munchausen’s syndrome is under-diagnosed because many people with the condition may succeed in deceiving medical staff. But it is also possible that cases of Munchausen’s syndrome are over-diagnosed because the same person could travel from hospital to hospital. A fairly large study that was carried out in a Canadian hospital estimated that, out of 1,300 patients, 10 were faking the symptoms of illness.
