This
blog post shall study a psychology disorder known as Munchausen Syndrome by
Proxy and analyze the difficulty with identifying the perpetrator suffering
from it. Caretakers play a significant role in nourishing, protecting and
fostering a child. Nevertheless, if a child gets ill, it is natural for parents
to become anxious and overprotective. Parents try everything from providing
home remedies to approaching doctors to cure their child. However, it gets
severe when caretakers fabricate or aggravate illness in the child for personal
motives like seeking attention, sympathy or social interaction. (Meadow, R.1989)
Limits exceed when medical practitioners are convinced to conduct surgery or
added painful medical examination. These symptoms depict the psychological
disorder known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.
In
1977, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy obtained recognized. 200 cases exhibiting
caretakers intentionally harming their own child were reported. (Meadow, R.)
Medical practitioners had to scrutinize the caretaker and keep them under
surveillance as the children who were admitted in hospitals were prone to harm.
(Wilson, R) Doctors claim that abusers are almost always a female or a mother.
However, this may be the case as mothers are the primary caretaker but the
abusers can be male to although it seldom happens. (Wilson, R. 2001).
In
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, it’s the motive/selfish intentions of the parents
or caretakers leading to intensive child abuse. The caretaker seeks to hamper
the child's education by demonstrating the child disabled or severely ill.
Having a sick child provides the perpetrator with attention from social
communities, monetary supports and spend long hours at medical settings like
hospitals. This disorder generates a sense of control they achieve from caring
for a sick child.
However, the symptoms of MSBP vary greatly;
there are symptoms that are more easily faked or induced in a child, like
suffocating a child while claiming he/she suffers from asthma, starving to
cause seizure, smothering to prove to bleed, adding substances to the child’s
food to cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Abusers are often able to conceal
their role in the child’s illness. Instead of broken bones and bruises,
evidence of the abuse in the majority of child abuse cases involves high fever
of unknown origin, tampering with intravenous links to poisoning. (Wilson, R.
2001).
As discussed above, Munchausen Syndrome by
Proxy is generally seen in women especially those suffering from depression,
anxiety or some other personality disorder. They tend to have a history of
either losing a parent or being abused or neglected as a child. (Meadow, R.
1989). Hence, they have trouble forming
a healthy relationship with their children. They tend to have difficulty
managing anger and frustration.
The
patients of MSBP are hard to identify. Even though, statistically 3 out of
10000 are recognized to suffering from MSBP. The reason for low reporting
happens as the case goes under-discovered. The abusive parent sometimes uses
different names and can visit many different practitioners. They preparator
stop visiting certain medical practitioners when the doctor becomes suspicious.
(Mercer, S., & Perdue, J) International statistics indicate that this
condition is usually diagnosed when the symptoms reach their peak level. Such
is the case because overt video under an assessment order may be useful as it
will either record the fabrication or deter it.
Although people suffering from MSBP cannot be watched around their
children even when they are in a hospital due to ethical constraints. (Foreman,
D., & Farsides, C.) Abused children generally tend to be 4 years old or
younger. Victims of MSBP patients are ominously found to have a sibling who is
either deceased or to have had medical problems similar to the current victim
of the disorder.
The professional treating the patient of MSBP
usually works with other professionals to review all medical records that have
been kept of the patient. The treatment involves close collaboration with
professionals, family, and community members, intensive psychotherapy for the
victim and the perpetrator. It is the responsibility of the professional to
assure that the child is well protected by either intensive supervision of the
perpetrator or temporary or permanent removal of the child from the care of the
abuser.
Citations
Foreman, D., &
Farsides, C. (1993). Ethical Use Of Covert Videoing Techniques In Detecting
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 307(6904),
611-613. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/29720941
Wilson, R. (2001).
Fabricated Or Induced Illness In Children: Munchausen By Proxy Comes Of
Age. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 323(7308), 296-297.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25467586
Meadow, R. (1989).
Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 299(6693), 248-250. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/29704780
Mercer, S., &
Perdue, J. (1993). Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: Social Work's Role. Social Work, 38(1), 74-81. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23716884
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