Munchausen syndrome is a form of psychological disorder known as a factitious disorder. Sufferers mimic real diseases, presenting a great problem to themselves and their healthcare professionals.

Contents

1 Munchausen syndrome 2 Munchausen syndrome by proxy 3 Origin of the Name 4 External link

Munchausen syndrome

In Munchausen syndrome, the sufferer feigns, exaggerates, or creates symptoms of illnesses in himself in order to gain attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. The role of "patient" is a familiar and comforting one, and it fills a psychological need in the man or woman with Munchausen's.

There is some controversy on the exact causes of the syndrome, but an increased occurrence has been reported in healthcare professionals and close family members of people with a chronic illness.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy

In Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP), a caregiver feigns or induces an illness in another person, usually her or his child, to gain attention and sympathy as the "worried" mother or father. Mothers are far more likely to have MSbP than fathers. Although MSbP cases with feigned or induced physical illness receive most attention, it is also possible in parents who emotionally abuse their child, then claim psychiatric and/or genetic problems. This is much more likely to occur in adopted, step, and foster children than those living with their birth parents.

Munchausen by proxy is a term used to describe a form of child abuse and which was coined by Sir Roy Meadow, former professor of Paediatrics at the University of Leeds, England. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Meadow's expert testimony sent many parents to prison for allegedly murdering their children through MSbP, as well as causing many potential victims to be taken into care. However, during the course of 2003 a number of high-profile acquittals brought Meadow's ideas into serious disrepute. Some experts now doubt even the existence of MSbP, despite observations on hospital surveillance cameras which have caught MSbP abusers in the act. At the time of writing upwards of 250 convictions which relied on Meadow's evidence are under review. Meadow himself is under investigation by the British General Medical Council for suspected professional misconduct.

In 2003, Sickened, an autobiographical account of the Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy abuse Julie Gregory suffered as a child, was published.

A documentary film, MAMA/M.A.M.A. which questions the validity of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, arguing that in many cases doctors over medication of infants may be the real cause of their infirmity rather than the mother's mental illness has just been released. The film contains the last interview that the controversial Sir Roy Meadow granted.

Origin of the Name

The name derives from one Baron Munchhausen (Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von M�nchhausen, 1720-1797), to whom were ascribed a series of fantastically impossible tales written by Rudolf Raspe.

External link

• Dr. Marc Feldman's Munchausen Syndrome, Malingering, Factitious Disorder, & Munchausen by Proxy Page (http://www.munchausen.com/)
• House of Mirrors (http://www.mbpeducate.com/) site about Munchausen by proxy by Julie Greogry
• Mental Health Matters: Munchausen by Proxy (http://www.mental-health-matters.com/disorders/dis_details.php?disID=60)
• Psych Forums: Munchausen by Proxy Forum (http://www.psychforums.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=190)

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