Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome

Of the many different types of child abuse, one form has more recently come to the forefront, Munchausen by proxy syndrome (MBPS). MBPS is a mental illness of the parent whereby they inflict harm to their child to glean pity and attention from the medical community. The name, Munchausen, comes from a similar mental illness in which an individual will harm themselves for this same form of attention called Munchausen Syndrome. MBPS has only recently …

…choice has no effect. Currently statistics show that of the 2.5 million cases of reported child abuse, less than one-thousand are identified as MBPS. Sadly, in some cases, by the time MBPS is discovered by health professionals, it is too late for these helpless victims (Kantrowitz, 1991). Bibliography Kantrowitz, B. (1991, April). Parental indiscretion: Did a Minnesota mom make her son sick? Newsweek Magazine, 17, 64. Seferian, E. G. (1997). Polymicrobial bacteria: a presentation of munchausen syndrome by proxy. Clinical Pediatrics, 36, 419.