From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   By Dr. Christopher L. Heffner    
   Dr. Christopher L. Heffner       August 22, 2014    
      
   Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome: A Deadly Disorder    
      
   2014-09-16T07:29:07+00:00    
   Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome: A Deadly Disorder    
      
   Jessica Feurtado    
      
   May 15, 2004    
      
        
      
   Mother comforting her childAbstract    
      
   Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS) is a deadly disorder of which awareness   
   must be increased. It is characterized by a parent, usually the mother, who   
   intentionally causes illness in her child. The disorder was named after Baron   
   von Munchausen. There    
   are different intensities and manifestations of this disorder. Symptoms of the   
   syndrome are hard to identify but are most prevalent when the child only   
   becomes sick in the presence of his or her mother. The mother maintains a   
   dynamic relationship with    
   the physician, as the whole disorder is centered upon her need for attention   
   from the doctor. It is most widely agreed that MBPS is caused by a need for   
   attention and compassion to placate self-doubt in the sufferer. The only   
   plausible treatment known    
   for this disorder is extensive psychotherapy. If more research is conducted on   
   this syndrome, it will help to protect the youth against abuse that is a by   
   product of a psychologically sick mother.    
      
   Introduction    
      
   When asked what Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome is, most people will draw a   
   blank. They are unaware of this form of abuse that claims the life of nine   
   percent of children that fall victim to it. This paper will discuss the   
   definition of Munchausen by Proxy    
   Syndrome (MBPS), the origin of its name, the subtypes of the disorder, the   
   symptoms associated with it, the dynamic relationship between the sufferer of   
   the disorder and the physicians caring for the sufferer's child, the causes of   
   this syndrome, and the    
   suggested treatment for it. MBPS is extremely difficult to diagnose, which is   
   why many children die before doctors realize what was actually happening to   
   them. Treatment for this disorder is limited, as well as knowledge and   
   understanding of its causes.    
   For this reason, it is extremely important to raise awareness of Munchausen by   
   Proxy Syndrome and to work towards ensuring that no more children fall victim   
   to illness and death at the hands of their own parents.    
      
   Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome Defined    
      
   Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, also called Factitious Disorder by Proxy, is a   
   psychological disorder characterized by a pattern of behavior in which   
   someone, usually a mother, induces physical ailments upon another person,   
   usually her child ("Munchausen    
   by Proxy Syndrome," n.d., p. 1). The mother attempts to gain attention and   
   recognition for herself by putting on the public façade of dedicated and   
   loving mother. However, when alone with her child she will subject them to   
   abuse, both physical and    
   emotional, as she tries to deliberately make them sick. The website   
   "Munchausen by Proxy Survivors Network," offers an extended definition for the   
   disorder:    
      
   The child is a victim of maltreatment in which an adult falsifies physical   
   and/or physiological signs and/or symptoms in the child causing this child to   
   be regarded as ill or impaired. The perpetrator who is usually a parent or   
   caregiver intentionally    
   falsifies history, signs, or symptoms in the child to meet their own   
   self-serving psychological needs. Other member in the family may support and   
   participate in the deception (n.d., p. 1).    
      
   Children who fall victim to a parent suffering from Munchausen by Proxy   
   Syndrome quite often require extensive emergency medical care, and undergo   
   several unnecessary procedures such as painful surgeries and physical testing.   
   Parents with Munchausen by    
   Proxy Syndrome do not typically appear psychotic and, based on incidents   
   caught on film, are calm and collected when inflicting harm on their children.   
   Victims of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome range greatly in age. The youngest   
   case known was of a mother    
   intentionally harming her fetus. The older cases involve people inducing   
   illness in adults (Schreier & Libow, 1993, p. 6). With such a wide array of   
   possibilities it is often too late for the victim before the disorder can be   
   diagnosed.    
      
   The Origin of the Name    
      
   Munchausen Syndrome, a disorder where people fabricate illness in themselves,   
   and Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome were named after an 18th-century German   
   dignitary named Baron von Munchausen. Baron von Munchausen was known for   
   telling "outlandish stories," (   
   "Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome," n.d., p. 1). The name was first used in 1951   
   by Dr. Richard Asher to describe self-induced illness. It is told that Asher   
   came upon the name Baron Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Freiherr von Munchausen in   
   fictional accounts of    
   his stories published in 1785 (Schreier & Libow, 1993, p.6-7). Because of the   
   correlation between Baron von Munchausen's fictional stories and the   
   exaggerated and made up symptoms of a person with this disorder, the terms   
   Munchausen Syndrome or    
   Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome were adopted as clinical terms describing the two   
   main factitious disorders.    
      
   Subtypes of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome    
      
      
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