4. Reluctance to Consult Previous Medical Records: The Elusive Patient
Normally, medical history serves as a crucial tool for diagnosis. But in cases of Munchausen Syndrome, patients often display a noticeable reluctance to share past medical records.
It’s a veiled dance of selective transparency where they might willingly give details about certain episodes but remain conspicuously guarded about others. This is another way they manage to perpetuate their web of medical deception.
When pressed to provide previous medical documentation, these individuals have an excuse at the ready. Whether it’s claiming the records are in another state or stored in a facility undergoing renovations, the reasons are as elaborate as they are false. It’s as if they have a ready-made excuse factory, churning out alibis as needed.
If a medical professional becomes suspicious and insists on seeing prior records, the individual might resort to distraction techniques. This could involve suddenly presenting with a new, more urgent symptom, shifting the clinician’s focus away from the missing history and onto immediate medical concerns. It’s misdirection worthy of a stage magician. (4)
