Strange Country Ep. 252: Munchausen Syndrome

What drives someone to pretend to have a serious illness? In this episode of Strange Country, cohosts Beth and Kelly discuss two women who convinced friends, loved ones and colleagues that they were dying. Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands Cite your sources: Kettler, Sara. "The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother." Biography (Bio.), 3 June 2021, https://www.biography.com/crime/gypsy-rose-blanchard-mother-dee-dee-murder. Accessed 4 February 2023 Kiefer, Peter. "The 'Grey's Anatomy' Liar Confesses it All." The Ankler., 7 December 2022, https://theankler.com/p/the-greys-anatomy-liar-confesses. Accessed 4 February 2023. LaTour, Kathy. "Jonathan White is a fraud -- and other strange things." Cure Today, 22 July 2009, https://www.curetoday.com/view/jonathan-white-is-a-fraud--and-other-strange-things. Accessed 4 February 2023. "Munchausen syndrome: Symptoms, Treatment & Definition." Cleveland Clinic, 23 November 2020, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9833-munchausen-syndrome-factitious-disorder-imposed-on-self. Accessed 3 February 2023. Peretz, Evgenia. "How 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer Elisabeth Finch Appropriated Her Wife's Traumatic Past." Vanity Fair, 3 May 2022, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/05/greys-anatomy-elisabeth-finch-jennifer-beyer. Accessed 4 February 2023. Peretz, Evgenia. "How 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer Elisabeth Finch Used Lies to Create Must-See TV." Vanity Fair, 2 May 2022, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/05/greys-anatomy-elisabeth-finch-truth-lies. Accessed 4 February 2023. Ruddy, Erin Zammett. "She Said She Had Breast Cancer--But She Lied." Glamour, 2 October 2008, https://www.glamour.com/story/she-said-she-had-breast-cancer-but-she-lied. Accessed 3 February 2023.