Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome - Essay Example

Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) is a factitious disorder in the human brain. This disease forces a person to make mental negative assumptions about another healthy being. A person often pretends as if an individual of whom he or she is taking care of has a physical or mental illness even though in reality the other person is not suffering from any abnormalities (Schreier & Libow, 1993). The adult who is suffering from MSP usually lies about a child under 6 years of age, making false assumptions about their abilities. It is mostly done by mothers—although it can occur in fathers as well— who act as if their child is seriously ill. They often exaggerate the child’s symptoms causing critical suspiciousness for others. To prove themselves right they simply lie about the symptoms in an extremely convincing manner, they tend to manipulate diagnostic tests (for example by putting acid in urine samples). They try to falsify the medical reports and in an extreme case the sufferer even tries to create symptoms by poisoning, suffocating, making to starve and causing infections to the victims (Artingstall, 1998). This disease is considered extremely dangerous for the people around and is considered to be child abuse by the American Professional Society. However, besides a child being the target, few adult victim cases have also been reported. This problem can be psychiatric or behavioural. Usually people with MSP do this to show the victim (often their child) as ill to gain attention and sympathy from others. To show that how much suffering he or she is bearing for their child. They even do this to develop a relationship with the doctor or other health care provider. They often care for the victim and don’t leave their side to show that they are a very good caretaker. People with MSP even risk the child to undergo operations and risky tests just to fulfil their desired wishes. In a normal day to day life it is very difficult to point out if a person is suffering from this disease and so it gets nearly impossible to verify how common this disease is. As mostly this disease is undetectable. Doctors usually use variety of diagnostic tests and procedures to identify the cause of the illness before considering diagnosis for MSP. Still the estimates tell us that almost 1,000 of the 2.5 million cases reported regarding the child abuse annually are related to MSP. The helpless victims (children) who are admitted to the hospitals usually have symptoms such as anorexia, bleeding, diarrhoea, feeding problems, seizures, apnoea and cyanosis caused by the abnormal by their caretakers towards them. Few symptoms that can indicate MSP in children include the child having history of hospitalizations and serious medications. The Munchausen syndrome by proxy is also evident if the symptoms are reported by the mother but are not seen by the health care providers. When a child is said to be suffering but the symptoms disappear in the hospital and the condition improves but reoccur when the child is sent back to home, MSP can be expected. Possibilities also list, if the blood samples do not match the child’s blood or contaminations are found in the blood or urine then testing the caretaker becomes necessary. The MSP can also be diagnosed if the child’s symptoms do not match with the results of the diagnostic test (Schreier & Libow, 1993). Even after huge research, the causes of Munchausen syndrome by proxy are still unknown. Mostly people who already experience psychiatric disorders undergo MSP. Some theories suggest that people who themselves experienced child abuse suffer from it. People who were neglected or had lost their parents in early childhood could also suffer from MSP. Seeking sympathy becomes a habit to them. Even stress and personal problems are the major causes of development of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (Stirling, 2007). Suspicions on the mothers can arise by accidentally witnessing them smothering their child or putting toxic or chemicals into their mouths. Diagnosing MSP is very difficult as the patient is so used to of lying that predicting he or she is mentally ill is almost impossible. Doctors must do a thorough review on child’s family and mother’s medical history which can provide clues for the presence of MSP. Proper treatments should be given to the patient to eradicate this illness. Although successful treatment is not an easy option, the patient must be given psychotherapy to change his or her behaviour and thinking. The child must be removed from the care of the person with MSP to prevent further harm to the victim ((Lasher & Sheridan, 2014). This psychological problem can be devastating for the patient. If the person is diagnosed with such illness, they can lose their family, career, friends and all other means to a normal life. Child abuse being a crime can put the sufferer into necessary punishments which eventually may lead to worst conditions. The patients are sent to rehabilitation centres where they may have to spend their whole lives. This mental disorder is enormously difficult to treat and in some cases can even take a lifetime to cure. These patients are dangerous for other people as they can harm others which automatically destroy their position in the society, their career and their social life. Mostly people who are diagnosed by this disease do not accept that they are suffering from such a disease and face more psychological issues. Psychotherapy is a seemingly best approach to treat MSP. Meadow, Schreier, Libow and other experienced doctors have suggested a stepwise approach for the management of MSP. First of all medical and hospitalization records of the family and the victim should be obtained and verified. Taking an interview of the family members without the perpetrator is a crucial step. Then admitting the child to a hospital with the perpetrator to observe his or her behaviour with the child becomes important. It is to be checked that whether symptoms still exist or not. Then it is advisable to separate the child and the perpetrator to confirm the end of the child’s symptoms in the perpetrators absence and to protect the child from the perpetrator (Artingstall, 1998). While the child is hospitalized, doctors should keep close observations and put hidden cameras to check and record the interaction between the child and the patient. Blood, urine and other samples should be taken for investigation. Social, psychological and psychiatric evaluations should be arranged for the child and the suspect. The records should be objectively examined by the team before confronting the perpetrator. Local child protection and law enforcement agencies should be informed about this before confronting the suspect and after confronting the suspect and telling him or her about the diagnosis, the perpetrator must be separated from the child and other siblings for further protection. The perpetrator must be recommended for the psychological or psychiatric treatment. To ensure the child’s safety, long-term close monitoring should be given by the court. Before reunification of the child and perpetrator it should be ensured that the patient has reached unification criteria and it is safe for the child to live with the perpetrator. Safety of both parties is a necessity and should be taken care of as there is a high risk of the suspects to commit suicide or harm themselves. Activity of the patient should be restricted if he or she possesses harm to anyone and close supervision should be given. Doctors should not give any negative judgments to the patients which can hamper the therapy. The patient must be taught how to form relationships that are not related with being ill. All in all it is extremely important for the doctors and other committees to be very careful about the whole scenario. Everything should be judged and handled by trained professional as MSP can be a cause of many other problems to the patients or people around (Lasher & Sheridan, 2014). References Artingstall, K. (1998). Practical Aspects of Munchausen by Proxy and Munchausen Syndrome Investigation. London: CRC Press. Lasher, L & Sheridan, M. (2014). Munchausen by Proxy: Identification, Intervention, and Case Management. London: Routledge. Schreier, AH. & Libow, JA. (1993). Hurting for Love: Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. NY: Guilford Press. Read More