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Feigned Bereavement: Twelve Cases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

John Snowdon ,
Richard Solomons  and
Howard Druce
John Snowdon*
Affiliation:
Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, N.S.W. 2031, Australia
Richard Solomons
Affiliation:
Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London W.1
Howard Druce
Affiliation:
Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London W.1
*
∗ Address for reprints.
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Summary

Twelve patients who feigned bereavement are described. Most appeared depressed on admission, and in over half bereavement was erroneously believed by staff to be an important cause of their depression. This type of behaviour, leading to admission to hospital, may be regarded as abnormal illness behaviour, and reasons are given for considering most of the cases as variants of the Münchausen syndrome. Motivation for these deceptions is discussed, and reference is made to features which might arouse suspicion that bereavement is feigned.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 133 , Issue 1 , July 1978 , pp. 15 - 19
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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References

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