What is Ganser Syndrome?
Ganser Syndrome is a form of mental disorder in which the affected individual acts in a conscious manner in such as a way that he or she is terrible sick or unwell to gain attention when in fact the individual is perfectly normal.
Majority of individuals with Ganser Syndrome act as if they have schizophrenia and show symptoms of it. The affected individual act they are sick solely to gain attention and show that they are sick and not well.
It is not to gain any monetary benefit from any individual or society. All they want is to gain sympathy and attention that is given to people who are really sick and bedridden. There are also some emotional disturbances associated with Ganser Syndrome.
What are the Causes Of Ganser Syndrome?
Extreme stress is believed to be the main cause of Ganser Syndrome. One of the other causes that may lead to Ganser Syndrome is a habit of avoiding to take responsibility and do a little bit extra than normally is done.
A desire to avoid tense or tricky situations and to learn ways to handle them is also another cause for Ganser Syndrome. Alcoholism, head injury, or strokes are some of the physical causes for the development of Ganser Syndrome.
In majority of the cases of Ganser Syndrome the individuals have antisocial traits in them. Such individuals tend to be over aggressive and tend to break the rules and regulations made by the society. Such individuals have a desire to seek attention and for this they tend to behave abnormally and inappropriately due to Ganser Syndrome.
What are the Symptoms of Ganser Syndrome?
The primary presenting feature of Ganser Syndrome is behavioral problem in which the affected individual behaves in a manner which may look as if the individual is extremely sick when he or she will be absolutely normal.
The affected individual will act as if he or she is confused, may make statements as if they are having hallucinations or as if they are hearing voices. The main symptom for Ganser Syndrome is the affected individual will give answers which will not make sense to questions.
The affected individual may also complain of inability to move some body parts and also complain of loss of memory. These are all classic symptoms of Ganser Syndrome.
How is Ganser Syndrome Diagnosed?
It is extremely difficult to diagnose Ganser Syndrome as the affected individual will never admit to faking symptoms and moreover this condition is absolutely rare.
A thorough physical examination will be done to rule out the symptoms that the patient has been complaining of. Once all the conditions have been ruled out a diagnosis of Ganser Syndrome is considered.
Once this condition is suspected then the patient will be referred to a psychiatrist or a psychologist for further investigations. A session or two with the psychologist will be good enough to confirm the diagnosis of Ganser Syndrome.
How is Ganser Syndrome Treated?
The first step towards the treatment of Ganser Syndrome is to make sure that the patient does not harm himself or herself in any way or poses a threat to others.
If the symptoms are severe then hospitalization or restraint may need to be done to prevent the patient from harming himself or herself or others. It is very tough to understand as to when the patient is actually improving as the patient will tend to fake the symptoms.
The best way to know is the reaction of the individual to stressful situations as they will not be able to cope up with it when they have symptoms of Ganser Syndrome.
Psychotherapy is a mode of treatment that has shown some success in treatment of Ganser Syndrome. There is no use of medication for treatment unless the patient suffers from associated anxiety, depression or other disorders along with Ganser Syndrome.
