Münchausen syndrome by proxy

The similarly-named Münchausen syndrome is a condition where a person fakes or invents medical problems to get more attention from a caregiver.  In the Münchausen syndrome by proxy a patient is substituted: a caregiver invents health problems in another person, so that the patient will get more attention. Very often, this person is their child. Sometimes, people injure their children, or they change test samples for one that will give a different, more serious result.  

Münchausen Syndrome is also known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self, "factitious" being another word for "fake." Likewise, Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy is known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another. Usually, the caregiver does not get specific benefits from their behavior. Sometimes, the people cared for get serious or permanent health problems, up to and including fatal results.

The cause of the syndrome is unknown. The main motive may be to get attention and manipulate physicians. Risk factors include pregnancy related complications, and a mother who was abused as a child or has factitious disorder imposed on self. The condition is often discovered when the child is removed from the mother's care, and the child's health suddenly improves. Sometimes, video surveillance to collect evidence is set up without the suspected person's knowing it.

Those affected might have been subjected to a form of physical abuse and medical neglect.

Usually, the condition is solved by social welfare services attention. This may involve putting the child in foster care. Therapy may help when the caregiver realizes they need help. How commonly it occurs is unknown. It appears to be relatively rare, though. More than 95% of cases involve a person's mother. The condition was first named in 1977 by Roy Meadow. The presence of the disorder may indicate criminal behavior.

 References 

Category:Psychiatry
Category:Child abuse
Category:Syndromes
Category:Medical terms