If you haven't seen "The Act" on Hulu yet, it's a MUST SEE! "The Act" tells the true story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Dee Dee was an extremely over-protective mother to Gypsy, and it was likely she was suffering from Munchausen syndrome. Munchausen syndrome is a mental illness in which someone fakes sickness or makes themselves physically ill in order to garner sympathy and attention. In Dee Dee's case, she was making her daughter, Gypsy Rose, sick.
Inside Edition got an inside look at the bizarre illness. They interviewed a woman who is recovering from the disease, and got some pretty disturbing details. "I thought of doing everything and anything possible to be sick," a woman named Andrea Avigal told InsideEdition.com. For years, starting in childhood, Andrea suffered from Munchausen syndrome. It was only after Andrea landed in the ICU and nearly lost her foot that she was able to take steps toward recovery.