Munchausen's by 9/11

Recently we have seen a rash of stories related to 9/11, that has me wondering if such an event, catastrophic and "society changing" in nature, acts as a catalyst or a magnet for "wannabes" and attention seekers. In fact, others I have spoken to, have I think rightfully suggested, that such behaviors may be a variation of the mental illness known as "Munchausen's Disease".

Munchausen's Disease or Syndrome, named after the tall tale telling Baron VonMunchausen of the late 18th century, involves the fabrication of symptoms/signs consistent with a medical illness in order to gain sympathy and medical attention. Unlike malingering, the patient/victim is not creating their story/illness for financial or material gain.

An example of the illness would be someone who takes chemical cleaner and purposely exposes their skin to such, in order to create welts/rash that would then be presented to a clinician for assessment/investigation.


So how does this relate to 9/11. There are a growing number of such cases, but lets take a look at two.

Case #1: Tania Head.

NY TIMES ARTICLE

She has alleged that she was in the WTC when the 9/11 attacks occured.
She claims to have been burned from the fires that raged, and treated in a hospital afterward. Now, however, it has come to light that (A) her Fiance's/husband's family deny she was ever in a relationship with him, and (B) her alleged employer has no record of her ever working for them.

So the question is, if she was lieing, why? Perhaps one could make an argument for financial gain. Has she profited financially from her story? I do not know. I do know that she has gained considerable fame, and a tremendous amount of attention from the story. Sympathy was thrown upon her like a big cozy blanket. So is this a variation on Munchausen's? Is this a form of factitious disorder? If true, I think so.

Case #2: Kevin McPadden.

PRISONPLANET ARTICLE

This man, claiming to be a soldier and medic, also claims to have been at GZ on 9/11. However, he also claims to have been on the scene near WTC7 when it was about to collapse, AND he claims he heard a COUNTDOWN to the collapse over a radio nearby.

Now his story is not backed up by anyone else who was with him that day. His credentials as soldier seem to check out, although the title of medic may be in question.

More disturbing than his hearsay fantasy, is how it has evolved as he has garnished more and more attention from the 9/11 truth movement. At first what he heard was incomprehensible but "pulsatile" talk over the nearby radio. Now however, the man claims to have clearly heard a countdown to the collapse, which he claims intentional, of WTC7. Over the time his story has changed, Mr. McPadden has become a hero to the movement, talking before crowds, and interviewed for radio and websites. He is the Rosetta Stone for the truth movement, a whistleblower who was there...but was he, and if he was, is his story true, or an attention seeking lie fabricated and/or exaggerated in order to gain a cult following?


So if Kevin McPadden's or Tania Head's stories turn out to be false, or greatly exaggerated, are they examples of Munchausen's by Catastrophe, or in this case, "Munchausen's by 9/11"?

Only time will tell.