[Munchausen syndrome. A rare condition requiring many resources].

This syndrome is an infrequent, but dramatic disorder. The patients do intentionally produce or feign physical symptoms in order to assume a patient role without any other obvious gain. It also characterized by multiple admissions to different wards and hospitals over years. The disorder differs from the somatoform disorders by the voluntary produced symptomatology. From a psychiatric angle of view the possible comorbidity with personality disorders is highlighted. Medicolegal aspects of the disorder is also discussed, particularly the legitimacy of accepting these persons' status as patients. References are made to the man who has given the name to the syndrome; an eighteen century German baron whose tall tales from his military service were used as illustrations to the syndrome nearly one and a half century later.