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Addressing factitious disorder, aka Munchausen syndrome

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you address Munchausen syndrome and how to treat a person who might have it? What causes the constant talk about real or imagined illnesses, and is there a treatment for it? — Anon. ANSWER: Factitious disorder, sometimes called Munchausen syndrome after the 18th century German nobleman Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchhausen, who was famous for exaggerated stories that were published in English in 1785 and defied belief. The term “Munchausen syndrome” was coined in 1951 to describe people who intentionally fake or induce medical symptoms. There are ...

The temporary immigration program that’s been forever

Columns

The last two decades have been a continuous adventure in redefining the phrase “white supremacy” to include less and less pertinent things. The latest is that the Supreme Court has allegedly joined forces with Trump to “advance an authoritarian, white-supremacist agenda” — in the words of Illinois Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez — by saying he can end so-called Temporary Protected Status for immigrants. A headline in the left-wing magazine The Nation read, “The Supreme Court Once Again Endorses Trump’s Racism.” The court decision is facially correct in that the law ...

2026 isn’t the first time Christians have tried to claim the United States as their own

Columns

Amid celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary, assertions of the country’s religious, and specifically Christian, character have grown louder in political discourse. In May 2026, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other prominent officials participated in a prayer service in Washington, D.C. Johnson proclaimed, “We hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God.” Though planners invoked the nation’s “Judeo-Christian” heritage, most religious leaders at the event came from the evangelical Christian tradition. In a prerecorded video, President Donald ...

Dear Annie: Missing the magic of family Christmases

Columns

Dear Annie: My husband and I are in our 70s, and although our adult children live nearby, they rarely visit us. It is always considered “more convenient” for us to go to them. For years, I decorated our home from top to bottom for Christmas. I loved the tree, the lights and the feeling that I was creating something special for our family. But now I find myself wondering why I bother. On Christmas Eve, we may see one of our children’s families for three hours. Half the time, the adults fall asleep on the couch. Then they are well rested and ready to celebrate with the other ...

Dear Annie: Promotion creates distance between best friends at work

Columns

Dear Annie: My best friend, “Ashley,” and I have worked at the same marketing agency for three years. We started on the same day, bonded over bad coffee, and we have been inseparable ever since. We have lunch together almost every day and text constantly. We have even taken a few vacations together. She was the first person I told when I found out I was pregnant last year, before I’d even told my mother. Last month, I was promoted to Senior Manager, which means I am now directly responsible for overseeing her work, giving her performance reviews, and if it ever came to it, ...

World cup tourists see what too many Americans have forgotten

Columns

Americans are routinely told that our nation is hopelessly divided, irredeemably flawed and perhaps even in terminal decline. Public polling reflects this pervasive frustration, pessimism and anomie. If someone halfway around the world only followed the polls, he might be forgiven for believing our republic is all but over. But something remarkable is happening during the 2026 World Cup, which is jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Fans from all across the world have arrived in America — and they are absolutely loving it. We too often take our way of life for ...