Munchausen's syndrome | Illustration for Zaborona

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Munchausen's syndrome

Editorial Illustrations about a psychological disorder made for Zaborona online magazine

I have created three editorial illustrations about Munchausen’s syndrome in November 2021, while I have been attending an illustration course at Sochnik school of design, curated by Tania Yakunova.

Munchausen's syndrome is a psychological disorder where someone pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves. Their main intention is to assume the "sick role" so that people care for them and they are the centre of attention. Munchausen's by proxy, is a type of Munchausen's syndrome. This is where a person fakes or induces illness in a person under their care. Most cases involve a mother and her child.
Source: nhs.uk

Analysis & Sketching ideas

After researching and learning numerous sources, medical materials and (indeed) watching an episode of Dr. House about the syndrome along with Sharp Objects TV series (highly recommended!), I have evolved key verbal metaphor that became a basis for a visual one.

These are final sketches:

Style & colors

I needed my illustrations to communicate a morbid reverie, danger hidden under “kind” intentions, and intricacy of diagnosis. With such a tricky topic I’ve decided to stay clear and combine simple, flat forms, sharp angles with bright colours.

The style represents mind games that people who struggle from an illness might have. And highlights the fact human’s brain can decorate and turn inside out any reality.

An article cover illustration shows an exhausted man who is ready to hurt himself and endure pain from the heat of a match, just to draw doctors’ attention.

Illustration of Munchausen’s syndrome represents the essence of the syndrome—a person confuses the attention one receives during treatment with an expression of care and love.

lllustration of Munchausen’s by proxy syndrome discloses helpless suffering of a person under Munchausen’s care. Usually it is a child who is so far gone that everyone thinks about a mother as a hero to take care of a child.

You can read an article in Ukrainian.

Thanks to Zaborona editorial team for choosing my works to illustrate
an article. Thanks to Tania Yakunova and Sochnik school for creating such
a knowledgable course. It was a big pleasure to work on the project!

Thanks for watching!