designer diseases

[Joy Lucas]

Over the years I have frequently had cases which over time turn out to be
nothing more that faked illness. Often the client presents with relatively
mild symptoms such as joint pains. Sometimes they are more serious such as
dyslexia and ME - conditions that can be difficult to clinically prove one
way or another. They know the symptoms well and are extremely convincing.

Sometimes, as the case taking continues, these clients will admit to
'designing' these conditions to suit their lifestyle - it means they can
claim extra social security benefits or at least live a life which makes far
fewer demands on them. I have had to develop a protocol for such situations.
On the one hand you could argue that these people ARE ill, in as much as
they cannot deal with life in a 'healthy' way and choose to 'be ill.' But
some come to see a homeopath as proof they are trying everything to get
well, when in fact they have no intention of getting better - this is bad
for business and homeopathy, as these clients claim that even homeopathy
cannot help them. They are not anti-homeopathy, they just can't deal with
life.

Much worse though is the situation which has been developing over the last
18 months - I have had 3 clients who have claimed to have cancer when they
haven't.

Why would anyone want to do this? In each case the whole family and huge
circle of friends has been brought to the ground because one of their loved
ones allegedly has cancer. Imagine the level of fraudulence that has to be
maintained - hospital trips, drugs, pretending to have chemo and biopsies
etc, pretending they don't have long to live, etc etc. WHY WHY WHY?

Jan Scholten talks of "Disease as Creation" - where disease is viewed as a
process of wear and tear, as a threat, as talent or strategy, as protection,
as symbol, as illusion, as myth or fairytale. Is it this that is going on
with my 'designer disease' clients? Do they develop the situation as
revenge? Are they at war with someone? Are they so deluded they really
believe themselves to be so ill? (from my point of view they are very ill)
Their lies are so well acted that NOTHING is revealed during case taking.
Their pretence is revealed to me because they slip up on the details of the
Dx or treatment procedures.

So what is to be cured in situations such a these? Does one merely treat the
level of delusion? Can you hope for a reliable case to present when there
are so many lies? Does the whole family and circle of friends need treating?
Should one carefully bring in counselling and risk losing the client
altogether? What protocol does one develop? Being found out is not an option
for these clients and I am not sure it is my job to place them in that
position.

I would be very interested to know if anyone else has had such cases and how
they handled the situation. It cannot be just a 'british' thing. I would
appreciate anyone's thoughts. Best wishes, Joy Lucas RSHom

[Nancy Siciliana]

Hi Joy,

This is a curious phenomenon--but one that seems to be fairly widespread.

In a sense, everyone's disease is playing some kind of role in his/her
life--and I suspect most people aren't aware of the attachment they may
build to such an illness. The topic has been explored, however; about a
year or two ago I picked up a book about this subject written by Carolyn
Myss (I'm not sure about the spelling of the name), in which she explores
this idea as one of the reasons why some people simply don't "heal". The
book is similar to what you've written about Jan Scholten's thinking on the
topic, and I recall it was helpful for learning how it is that people invest
such importance and significance to their illnesses.

Part of what a well selected remedy does is eliminate the need for the
disease to fill that role in the patient's life, and allow the patient to
find what it has effectively provided (attention, power, special
consideration, funds, control, what have you--things many people feel are
lacking in their lives) in a much more healthy and productive way.
I'm sure it would help patients immensely to come to a realisation about
their illnesses for themselves. But I think it is more important for
homeopaths--and anyone hoping to help people become well again--to
understand just how much illness becomes part of one's life, and how much
becomes invested in suffering. If people are actually making up their own
disease suffering, then that should illustrate this reality even more
clearly.

Regards,
Nancy

[Sheila Parks]

dear joy, i agree with you that the person is "very ill". that sickness,
the emotional one, is what i would treat in other arenas. and for me that
means person going into their childhood and family of origin wounds and
other traumas over the years. would be a long process. what does homeopathy
have to say about this, or is that one of the questions you are asking?
carolyn myss (you have spelled it right,nancy, and it is pronounced mace) is
not a favorite of mine - but she has some interesting ideas for me. i feel ,
among other things, that she is much too hard on people and is just wrong.
in one of her tapes she says talk about something three times and then it
should be over for you. that is so bad and so wrong in serious trauma, and
even smaller events, that it shocks me and i feel it can be harmful to those
who pay great heed to her. sheila
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[Rochelle]

Wow Joy,
Protect me from one of these patients!!I haven't had any so far thank
goodness. Maybe Veratrum may be a good place to start as they can be liars
and tend to be interested in No. 1, or maybe Sac Lac!!
We were always taught that patients home in on those practitioners that they
think can help them. So maybe you can help them and that's why they come to
you. By the way now do you suss them out? Have you confronted them or do
you take them at face value as I think I would as it is a delusion.
Unassigned - Mentals
DELUSIONS, imaginations sick he is (45)
1 ambr, 1 arg-n, 2 ars, 2 asar, 1 bar-c, 1 bell, 2 calc, 1 caust, 1 cham, 2
chel, 2 cic, 3 COLCH, 1 cub, 1 graph, 1 hell, 2 iod, 2 kali-c, 1 lac-c, 1
laur, 1 led, 2 lyc, 1 merc, 1 mosch, 1 murx, 1 nat-c, 1 nat-m, 1 nit-ac, 1
nux-m, 3 NUX-V, 1 petr, 1 phos, 1 podo, 1 psor, 3 PULS, 2 sabad, 1 sel, 2
sep, 1 spig, 1 spong, 3 STAPH, 1 stram, 1 tarax, 2 tarent, 1 valer, 1 verat

Regards,
Rochelle Marsden RSHom

www.rochellemarsden.co.uk
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[Rochelle]

Dear Sheila,
I made myself read the whole book as it was recommended but like you I
didn't like it. One thing I remember was how she was saying that people
cause the accidents that they have. That just can't be true.
I didn't know the pronunciation was "mace" as I have always said "miss"!!!

Regards,
Rochelle

www.rochellemarsden.co.uk
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[Joy Lucas]

Dear Rochelle, thanks for this. This continues to be interesting. I 'suss'
these clients out because they have always slipped up on the details of
their diagnosis, treatment or prognosis. I put in lot of time making sure I
fully understand the course of the cancer and its treatment (I feel quite an
expert sometimes). Then the obvious starts to fall into place. I have only
confronted one of these people (that's how I learnt that it wasn't the thing
to do), but this was on a more personal level and not the objective one as a
homeopath. I fully realise how homeopathy might help people in this state -
and there are many remedies that tell lies - but I am not sure that this is
the centre of cases such as these. I am convinced that one of these cases
evolved out of revenge to the parents, needing to give them a really hard
time. But it is very easy to be judgemental in cases like this, which isn't
a good thing. If it is of help I actually decided to treat these people as
if they did have the cancers they claimed to have. I felt I needed to
address the delusion. Thanks for reading, best wishes, Joy
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[twhite7101]

I have had some experience of this, not in homeopathy (yet) but in social
services in dealing with aids px fro many years. Many people have claimed to
have HIV or AIDS, early on (the 1980's) some to gain quick access to generous
benefits - they were the lazy and greedy, some because they were mentally
disturbed, some because they lacked a real sense of self and needed the
identification of "I have AIDS" for social status!, some to gain employment
or access into organisations or people, they would not have had otherwise.
The psychology of why people do this sort of think is as varied as people
themselves.

I would view each person as doing this as being "ill" in some measure, and
deal with it accordingly. For those who do it because they really want to be
ill there maybe use a delusion rubric, others might be rubrics like
imagination, other might be under jealousy, laziness and liar (charlatan,
deceit) etc.

[Barbara Hamilton]

Hi Joy,

Having lost my first homeopath to one of these patients who (as she called
it) 'took her for a ride', I have a very strong interest in this discussion. From
what I have gleaned, patients who do this are often several stages more down
the line in mental dis-ease than a hypochondriac ... even going towards
conversion or dissociation hysteria or Munchausen's Syndrome. I'm glad
to hear that you have recognised a pattern, which you share with us here,
as I'm sure we all need enlightening on this growing trend. Sadly, some of
the px are truly unaware of it being 'lying', as to them it is as real as the 'real
thing'; which may be why they cannot cope with confrontation of the truth.
While simplistically it can be seen as 'attention-seeking', it is much, much
more than that - as you illustrate with the case you mention about revenge
on the parents. Reading some literature on the topic, it seems that some px
are also driven to take revenge on one particular doctor, or the medical
profession in general, after receiving poor or unsatisfactory healthcare.

A quote from "Uncommon Psychiatric Syndromes" by Enoch & Ball:

"In nearly all cases the early environment of these patients is unfavourable,
leading in some way or another to their becoming conditioned, in a sense,
to use symptoms as a means of seeking attention. This pattern may be
reinforced both by repetition and possibly by the growth of a grudge against
the medical profession, whereby the subjects begain to consider themselves
to be victims of former mismanagement (MacKieth, 1957; Barker, 1962). "

There are, as twhite points out, many many reasons for why it occurs, some
of which are depicted in the above book. Drug addiction is one, but equally
that can be because there are those who

"attempt to resolve their personal problems through repeated hospital
admissions (Hawkins et al., 1956). One patient used admission to hospital
as a means of escaping her husband; others do to avoid the harsh realities
of everyday life."

Other examples are of psychopathology, and "Menninger (1934, 1938), in a
correlation of the psychopathology of self-destructiveness, enumerated such
motives as avoidance of something more dreaded than surgery; the gratification
of erotic needs and castration fantasies, possibly underlying a desire for a
change of sex; the realization of childbirth fantasies; and the relief of deep-
seated feelings of aggression and guilt through the self-induced suffering at
the hands of surgeons.......Menninger linked this tendency to invite operations
(localised or focal self-destruction) with suicide, regarding them as different
manifestations of the same morbid process."

The last example I hope is the most illuminating -

The psychologist, Grygier (1954), who investigated a number of cases, produced
the following formulation:

prepared to sustain injuries to their bodies and have attempted suicide.
They crave attention, yet distrust their doctors as they are themselves
distrusted. Their projective material reveals optimism that the next
operation will cure them, but underlying pessimism is just beneath the
surface. Although attention-seeking, they are self-effacing on tests, which
suggests powerful unconscious exhibitionistic needs. Their dramatized
symptoms contrast with their verbalizations, which show blandness,
poverty of affect and 'belle indifference'. . .Obsessive and paranoid
features are apparent. . . in the females masochism has a pronounced
sexual flavour, implying that operations may symbolise
acts of rape, satisfying both aggressive and sexual needs"

Here's just a few rubrics that came to mind when reading through the above.
Perhaps it would be handy to collate a few rubrics in readiness, as any px
presenting with the desire to manipulate their practitioner in this way
is in need of serious help - as you said Joy, with our understanding and
compassion, not judgement.

Barbara

MIND; MASOCHISM (5) : lac-lup., lach., nat-c., nat-m., tub.
MIND; MASOCHISM; sexual (3) : lach., nat-m., tub.
MIND; MORAL affections; want of moral feeling (K68, SRI-763, G54) (62) : abrot., acetan., achy., alco., am-c., anac., androc., anh., ars., aster., aur.,
Bell., bism., bufo, cass., cere-s., cham., chin., choc., clem., coca, cocain., cocc., coloc., con., convo-d., croc., cur., falco-p., flav., germ., haliae-lc.,
hep., hura, Hyos., kali-br., kali-c., kali-n., lac-c., laur., lyc., morph., nat-m., nit-ac., nit-s-d., nux-v., op., ozone, ped., ph-ac., pic-ac., plat., psil., raph.,
sabad., sep., squil., Stram., stry-p., tarent., thuj., Verat.
MIND; MUTILATE his body, inclination to (K68, SRI-780, G54) (8) : agar., ars., bell., cimic., hyos., lat-h., med., stram.
MIND; SELF-TORTURE (SRI-896, G62) (7) : acon., ars., bell., lil-t., plb., tarent., tub.
MIND; TORMENTS; himself (SRI-1027) (9) : acon., ars., bell., lach., lil-t., nat-m., plb., tarent., tub.
M; Mind; OBSESSIVE-compulsive disorder (22) : anac., arg-n., Ars., aur., calc., carc., Hyos., ign., iod., Med., nat-m., nat-s., Nux-v., plat., psor.,
Puls., sil., staph., sulph., syph., thuj., verat.
MIND; HYPOCHONDRIASIS; suicide, leading to (SRI-587, SRI-978) (12) : alum., aur., calc., caust., chin., con., graph., hep., nat-m., sep., Staph.,
sulph.
--- In minutus@y..., "Joy Lucas" wrote:

[Sheila Parks]

i am trying, unsuccessfully so far, not to get involved in this because i
have to study homeopathy, not psychology. but, here goes: 1)quoting
psychologists from so long ago takes into account not at all any new
feminist or othe psychology. 2)about taking revenge on parents. could it
be that the family of origin so wounded the child that they have come to
this. looking at it as an act of revenge is beside the point, is an
assumption, and does not heal the patient nor go back to the cause. even if
it is revenge, what is the cause of wanting to take revenge? i am not
suggesting it is revenge because i think that is projection, simplistic,
perhaps wrong, an assumption, and is blaming. etcetcetc. one would need to
go back to the family or origin and see how badly the child was treated,
because i can assure you that was the case and then heal that orignal wound.
one of the people you quote does say that the early environment of the
child was unfavorable. 3) re the rape and masochism, why is it that in
rape the woman is being blamed as being masochistic instead of the man, the
perpetrator as sick, violent, abusive, etc. ? 4)child abuse is pandemic in
the world these days. all kinds, be it emotional, sexual, deprivation,
physical, neglect, the sex trade, . the headlines in the local paper, the
boston globe the last few days have been exposing a catholic priest who was
allowed to molest young boys for years, even though the catholic church
hierachy knew it. 5)i need to change what i said about wounds from family
of origin, certainly they can come also from school and houses of worship -
the three places where many children spend much time. 6) i would like to
see all homeopaths required to take a modern, feminist course in psychology.
i can dream, can't i. 7)read alice miller books and jeffrey masson,
assault on truth, read some feminist literature, especially on psycholoyg.
and it is not only feminist literature. read reviving ophelia by mary
pipher, take out a subscrition to ms. or sojourner, . please, please,
please, 8)it is way past time for homeopaths to be knowledgable about these
issues. i am deeply sad about the lack of psychological insight and
understanding that i most frequently encounter in the homeopath world.
sheila
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[Wendy Howard]

Charlotte wrote:
to
been
It's

I've observed this many times too, and the rationalisation that makes sense
to me is to attribute a measure of purpose to illness. If the vital force is
not ready to respond to a remedy (of any description), then perhaps it's
because we haven't learned the lessons that our illnesses hold for us yet.
My experience seems to bear this out (but then, it would, wouldn't it?
).

I have a patient who's dis-ease picture features a large element of physical
symptomatology which appears to have little or no material basis. Remedies
have helped here and there, but the greatest improvement has been gained by
gently coaching them in the art of seeing what the mirror of life reflects
to them - hopefully with as little distortion as possible. Their treatment
has been a process of trying to perceive the opportune times to come in with
a well-indicated remedy while continuing to support their growing
understanding and self-responsibility. It seems to me, through all the ups
and downs that we've been through, that what keeps them in treatment is a
strong drive to make sense of what is happening to them. Establishing trust
was a major factor, and a big element in that was looking at our
relationship in terms of two human beings journeying together, rather than
the more conventional, but unequal, therapist-patient dynamic.

I'm learning every bit as much from it as they are, not least in confronting
my own feelings about what might be emotively termed "faked" disease. Yet
another good lesson in being the unprejudiced observer.

Regards
Wendy