Claiming someone else's pain: A grounded theory analysis of online community participants experiences of Munchausen by Internet

Abstract

Munchausen by Internet (MbI) became increasingly visible in 2016 after several high-profile cases were reported in the media. It has not however received significant research interest. What is known about MbI is dependent on a series of case studies by Feldman (2000). The present study seeks to add a new perspective on MbI by analyzing the experiences of respondents with an intimate knowledge of the condition. Posts from 12 online communities by 556 respondents discussing MbI were collected, amounting to approximately 91,300 words. These were analyzed using grounded theory. The findings show that MbI perpetrators appear to advantage themselves by occupying 'ideal victim' personae. Despite this supposed sinister premeditation and the resultant emotional distress caused, an unexpected proportion of respondents were sympathetic towards the MbI perpetrators. However, the presence or possible presence of MbI eroded trust amongst participants and led to more reserved participation to prevent being duped or labelled as MbI perpetrators themselves. Both these strategies undermine the therapeutic benefits of online communities by restricting opportunities to confer normality and cultivate interpersonal support. There are no definitive clues available to identify the behavior and no deterrents to discourage it. New innovative methods are needed to tackle MbI and several tentative suggestions are made including a text classifier, reverse photo search filter and a more onerous membership screening processes.