| Factitious disorder imposed on another | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Factitious disorder by proxy, Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP, MbP), fabricated or induced illness by carers (FII), medical child abuse |
 | |
| Overview of factitious disorder imposed on another | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry |
| Symptoms | Variable[1] |
| Causes | Unknown[2] |
| Risk factors | Pregnancy related complications, mother who was abused as a child or has factitious disorder imposed on self[3] |
| Diagnostic method | Removing the child from the caregiver results in improvement, video surveillance without the knowledge of the caregiver[4] |
| Differential diagnosis | Medical disorder, borderline personality disorder, other forms of child abuse, delusional disorder[5] |
| Treatment | Removal of the child, therapy[2][4] |
| Frequency | Relatively rare[4] |
Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), also known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), is a condition by which a caregiver creates the appearance of health problems in another person, typically their child.[6] This may include injuring the child or altering test samples.[6] They then present the person as being sick or injured.[5] This occurs without a specific benefit to the caregiver.[5] Permanent injury or death of the child may occur.[6]
The cause is unknown.[2] The primary motive may be to gain attention and manipulate physicians.[4] Risk factors include pregnancy related complications, and a mother who was abused as a child or has factitious disorder imposed on self.[3] Diagnosis is supported when removing the child from the caregiver results in improvement of symptoms or video surveillance without the knowledge of the caregiver finds concerns.[4] Those affected have been subjected to a form of physical abuse and medical neglect.[1]
Management may require putting the child in foster care.[2][4] Therapy may help when the caregiver realizes they need help.[4] How commonly it occurs is unknown,[5] however, it appears to be relatively rare.[4] More than 95% of cases involve a person's mother.[3] The condition was first named in 1977 by Roy Meadow.[4] The presence of the disorder may indicate criminal behavior.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b Stirling J; American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Child Abuse Neglect (May 2007). "Beyond Munchausen syndrome by proxy: identification and treatment of child abuse in a medical setting". Pediatrics. 119 (5). Berlin, Germany: Karger Publishers: 1026–30. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-0563. PMID 17473106. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ a b c d Jacoby, David B.; Youngson, R. M. (2004). Encyclopedia of Family Health. Marshall Cavendish. p. 1286. ISBN 9780761474869. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ a b c Yates, G; Bass, C (October 2017). "The perpetrators of medical child abuse (Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy) - A systematic review of 796 cases". Child Abuse & Neglect. 72: 45–53. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.07.008. PMID 28750264.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Myers, John E. B. (2005). Myers on Evidence in Child, Domestic, and Elder Abuse Cases. Aspen Publishers Online. pp. 280–282. ISBN 9780735556683. Archived from the original on 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ a b c d e American Psychiatric Association (2013), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing, pp. 324–326, ISBN 978-0890425558
- ^ a b c "Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self - Psychiatric Disorders". Merck Manuals Professional Edition. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2019.