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By the time she was 8 years old, J.B. had been hospitalized 200 times and had undergone more than 40 operations, including the removal of most of her intestines.
K.C., a 2-year-old boy, was hospitalized more than 20 times due to complications from pneumonia, mysterious infections, and sudden fevers. His doctors were baffled and unable to determine the cause of these illnesses.
What do these seemingly unrelated cases have in common? They were the result of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS), or Factitious Disorder by Proxy, as it's listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision, also known as DSM-IV-TR).
This relatively uncommon condition involves the exaggeration or fabrication of illnesses or symptoms by a primary caretaker. One of the most harmful forms of child abuse, Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome was named after Baron von Munchausen, an eighteenth-century German dignitary known for telling outlandish stories.
J.B.'s medical history was traced to her mother, who manufactured her daughter's illnesses. Similarly, when K.C. was thought to have tests, try different types of a child who has multiple medical problems that don't respond to treatment or that follow a persistent and puzzling course physical or laboratory findings that are highly unusual, don't correspond with the child's medical history, or are physically or clinically impossible short-term symptoms that tend to stop when the perpetrator isn't around a parent or caregiver who isn't reassured by "good news" when test results find no medical problems, but continues to believe that the child is ill a parent or caregiver who appears to be medically knowledgeable or fascinated with medical details or appears to enjoy the hospital environment a parent or caregiver who's unusually calm in the face of serious difficulties with the child's health a parent or caregiver who's highly supportive and encouraging of the doctor, or one who is angry and demands further intervention, more procedures, second opinions, or transfers to more sophisticated facilities What Causes Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome? In some cases, the parents or caregivers themselves were abused, both physically and sexually, as children. They may have come from families in which being sick was a way to get love. The parent's or caregiver's own personal needs overcome his or her ability to see the child as a person with feelings and rights, possibly because the parent or caregiver may have grown up being treated like he or she wasn't a person with rights or feelings. Other theories say that Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome is a cry for help on the part of the parent or caregiver, who may be experiencing anxiety or Barbara P. Homeier, MD Date reviewed: March 2005 Originally reviewed by: Medical Conditions Infections First Aid & Safety Nutrition and Fitness Recipes Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. ©1995-2006 KidsHealth. All rights reserved. Latest Headlines General Phone Number216-844-8447 216-844-Rainbow Appointments 216-844-3911 Patient Info Mailing Address 11100 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106 Helpful Links Physician Finder Request an Appointment Ask Rainbow
In some cases, the parents or caregivers themselves were abused, both physically and sexually, as children. They may have come from families in which being sick was a way to get love. The parent's or caregiver's own personal needs overcome his or her ability to see the child as a person with feelings and rights, possibly because the parent or caregiver may have grown up being treated like he or she wasn't a person with rights or feelings.
Other theories say that Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome is a cry for help on the part of the parent or caregiver, who may be experiencing anxiety or Barbara P. Homeier, MD Date reviewed: March 2005 Originally reviewed by: Medical Conditions Infections First Aid & Safety Nutrition and Fitness Recipes Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. ©1995-2006 KidsHealth. All rights reserved. Latest Headlines General Phone Number216-844-8447 216-844-Rainbow Appointments 216-844-3911 Patient Info Mailing Address 11100 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106 Helpful Links Physician Finder Request an Appointment Ask Rainbow
216-844-8447 216-844-Rainbow Appointments 216-844-3911 Patient Info
11100 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106