Suicide disguised as murder: a dimension of Munchausen syndrome

This case study reports on a suicide made to look like murder. The case highlights the issue of false claims of criminal victimization and suggests the need for a reexamination of the dynamics of factitious allegations of criminal victimization. Factitious complaints of mental or physical illness are typically self-reported to psychiatric or medical authorities. This paper illustrates a different kind of phenomenon: one in which an injury or disorder is brought to medical attention by way of the police, who report the death or injury as arising from criminal victimization.