Ganser Syndrome - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Ganser Syndrome also known as ganser-dämmerzustand. Ganser syndrome has been observed frequently in conjunction with a marked psychosocial or physical stressor (ie, head injury, serious illness). People with factitious disorders act this way because of an inner need to be seen as ill or injured, not to achieve a concrete benefit, such as financial gain. Ganser syndrome is a type of factitious disorder in which the person mimics behavior that is typical of a mental illness, such as schizophrenia. Ganser syndrome is sometimes called prison psychosis because it was first observed in prisoners. It is a reaction to extreme stress and the patient thereby suffers from approximation. People with Ganser syndrome have short-term episodes of odd behavior similar to that shown by people with serious mental illnesses. Symptoms include a clouding of consciousness, somatic conversion symptoms, confusion, stress, loss of personal identity, Echolalia , and Echopraxia. The psychological symptoms generally resemble the patient's sense of mental illness rather than any recognized category. It is stated by some that the syndrome is more common in men (80 percent) than in women and most often occurs in the late teens and early adult years. This male dominance might most likely be influenced by the fact that the ratio of males to females in the prison system is quite high, and often reflects a greater minority representation.