scholarly journals Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy as a Cause of Child Abuse

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 103-110
Author(s):  
Youn Shin Kim ◽  
Jin Yu ◽  
Ha Ri Jeong ◽  
Kyoung-Won Ryu
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
Factitious Disorder ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Role Of Nursing

Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) is a rare form of mental disorder and is known as a particular type of child abuse. MSBP has been described since 1977 as a severe form of abuse with illness falsification or the intentional harming by guardians, mostly mothers. The perpetrator of MSBP may inflict damage to the child directly or indirectly through medical procedures. The perpetrator’s alleged motive is to satisfy her psychological needs, and she has a history of mental illness, mostly, factitious disorder, personality disorder, and somatic disorder. The pathology is not well known; as such, it is difficult for medical personnel to detect it early. In addition, it is hard to be handled effectively by the police and child welfare agencies because of the scarcity of evidence. Therefore, the authors attempt to examine the essential information from early detection and child abuse prevention by analyzing its clinical characteristics and the perpetrator’s characteristics, including alerting signs of MSBP. For this purpose, we focus on the role of nursing staff to detect this unusual cause of child abuse.

scholarly journals MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME BY PROXY – A REAL PEDIATRIC PROBLEM?

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-258
Author(s):  
Daniela Pacurar ◽  
◽  
Maria Runcan ◽  
Anca Popescu ◽  
Gabriela Lesanu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parent Education ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Healthy Person ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Factitious Disorder ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy ◽  
Personal Benefit

Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen by proxy syndrome belong belong to a group of disease called “factitious disorder” and are severe mental disorders having the “end” position for a healthy person to become patient, respectively to “create” a disease to another person, asking or requiring medical intervention for him/her. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is rare, but it is difficult to be recognized and confirmed, is a form of abuse, particularly against children, potentially lethal, often misunderstood. Many methods are used by adults counterfeiters to induce a false child’s condition: poisoning, injury, producing bleeding, infection. Complaints exposed by the mothers as belonging to the child are not for a personal benefit, but are justified by a desire to be a “hero” mothers and to play the role of the people most attached and thoughtful of their child. Diagnosis should include evaluation of the child, parents and family and is based on suggestive elements: child with multiple health problems that do not respond to treatment or recur under proper therapy, laboratory investigations discrepancies, child’s signs and symptoms disappear in the absence of the parent. The false disease of the child, intentionally distorted described by adult, do not really affect him/her, but the diagnostic process and medical treatment can cause pain and discomfort. Ethical and legal issues associated with MSBP involves healthcare professionals by the medical consequences on the child as a result of false complains described by the parent. Education of patient, family and medical personnel is a very important step in the recognition, prevention and treatment of MSBP.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy Simulating Cystic Fibrosis

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-624
Author(s):  
David M. Orenstein ◽  
Abby L. Wasserman
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy ◽  
Laboratory Results ◽  
Sweat Tests

The case of a child with apparent cystic fibrosis whose many signs, symptoms, and laboratory results were convincingly portrayed by his mother is presented. The mother falsified the history, and cunningly altered sweat tests and stool fat analyses, and stole sputum from patients with cystic fibrosis to make her child appear to have cystic fibrosis. This case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy highlights the extent to which the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis rests on reliable history and laboratory data and emphasizes the extremes to which perpetrators of this form of child abuse may go to make their case. Medical personnel must educate civil authorities about this syndrome and the dangers it represents to the child.

An Unusual Case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

1991 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 422-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni Single ◽  
Richard Leigh Henry
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Medical History ◽  
Diagnostic Test ◽  
Unusual Case ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Sweat Test ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy ◽  
History Of

An 11-year-old boy was presented by his father with a long and plausible history of cystic fibrosis. The diagnostic test for cystic fibrosis, the sweat test, was normal and excluded the diagnosis. The medical history was later found to be false, and the child to be well. By definition, the case met the criteria for Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy with fabrication of symptoms on behalf of another in order to deceive medical personnel. Unusual features included the illness chosen, the father as the parent falsifying illness, his failure to pursue unnecessary investigations and treatment, and the ease with which he relinquished the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.

Factitious disorder imposed on another (Munchausen syndrome by proxy) and child abuse

2015 ◽  
Vol Ano 5 ◽  
pp. 38-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisieux E. de Borba Telles ◽  
Caroline Galli Moreira ◽  
Mariana Ribeiro de Almeida ◽  
Kátia Mecler ◽  
Alexandre Martins Valença ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Factitious Disorder ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy

A violência é globalmente reconhecida como um problema de saúde pública. Em 2002, a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) deu destaque para o abuso e para a negligência por seu caráter crônico e pelos danos psicológicos, sociais e injúria física que geram, sendo as crianças frequentemente vitimizadas. Este artigo apresenta os diferentes tipos de maus-tratos infantis, com enfoque principal na síndrome de Munchausen por procuração, visto apresentar a característica peculiar de envolver três entidades, mesmo que de forma inadvertida: o médico, o cuidador/perpetrador e a criança/vítima.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: The Need for Service Integration

1987 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-14
Author(s):  
Robyn Batten
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Medical Treatment ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Service Integration ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy

Baron Karl Frederick Van Munchausen was famous throughout Europe in the 18th century for tales of his adventures which were of doubtful authenticity. In 1951 the term Munchausen syndrome was coined to describe adults who fabricated histories of illness, produced false physical signs and laboratory findings to deceive doctors and receive unwarranted medical treatment and operations. Munchausen syndrome by proxy was first described by Dr. Roy Meadow (1977) as a form of child abuse in which an illness is fabricated in a child by a parent.

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