STEWART COPELAND

For decades, physicians have known about so-called factitious disorder, better known in its severe form as Munchausen syndrome (Feldman & Ford, 1995). Here, people willfully fake or produce illness to command attention, obtain lenience, act out anger, or control others. Though feeling well, they may bound into hospitals, crying out or clutching their chests with dramatic flair. Once admitted, they send the staff on one medical goose chase after another. If suspicions are raised or the ruse is uncovered, they quickly move on to a new hospital, town, state, or in the worst cases — country. Like traveling performers, they simply play their role again. I coined the terms "virtual factitious disorder" (Feldman, Bibby, & Crites, 1998) and "Munchausen by Internet" (Feldman, 2000) to refer to people who simplify this "real-life" process by carrying out their deceptions online. Instead of seeking care at numerous hospitals, they gain new audiences merely by clicking from one support group to another. Under the guise of illness, they can also join multiple groups simultaneously. Using different names and accounts, they can even sign on to one group as a stricken patient, his frantic mother, and his distraught son all to make the ruse utterly convincing.


Link: http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/chronic/faking.html

It's not funny, and I see right through you. You know who I'm talking about.

Considering what's going on for REAL these days with Ian-- who many of us are genuinely concerned about--you should be ashamed of yourself, and your distasteful cry for attention in the light of someone who is TRULY fighting for his life.

No, I don't buy it for one moment.

I bought it

But thanks for the information lone gunman.

I don't know to much Ian, just that he is Stewart's brother, but I hope he won many time in his true cancer fight .

To the lone gunman

i am not making this up,

you should get a life and preach your theories elsewhere

Didn't you say yesterday you wouldn't be logging on anymore?

That you wanted your account closed?

Go on, then, go take care of yourself, if you're really so sick. Why worry over who does and doesn't believe you on an internet forum, anyway?

the only reason I have been logging in, is to counteract the sick things that people are saying about me.

Giovanni hasn't closed my account, but I have emailed him about all the hurtful things that you both have been saying.

I am going to destroy this website and take this forum offline!!!!!

you all need to get stuffed