Münchausen Syndrome is a mental disorder.
Description[]
Münchausen Syndrome, also called "hospital addiction syndrome", causes the affected to feign or exaggerate illness or psychological trauma in order to get attention, treatment and sympathy from medical personnel. It is related to "Münchausen Syndrome by proxy" which causes the affected to abuse someone close to them, usually a child, for the same reason--often in a way where they will be able to take care of them (such as inducing sickness) to get attention from both the victim and the people around them for being so "caring". The name is derived from Baron Münchausen (1720-1797) who told a number of fantastic, impossible tales about himself.
On Criminal Minds[]
Will Summers suffered from Münchausen by proxy, which prompted him to commit his crimes in Risky Business.