Submitted by: Submitted by dedraduke
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Words: 1259
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Category: Science and Technology
Date Submitted: 04/08/2015 07:50 AM
Whitney McMorris
March 20, 2015
Psychology- Musiala
Research Paper
Munchausen’s Syndrome (By Proxy)
Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP or MBP) is a behavior pattern in which a
caregiver fabricates, exaggerates, or induces mental or physical health problems in those
who are in their care. With deception at its core, this behavior is an elusive, potentially
lethal, and frequently misunderstood form of child abuse or medical neglect that has been
difficult to define, detect, and confirm. The mother can do extreme things to fake
symptoms of illness in her child. For example, she may: add blood to the child’s urine or
stool, withhold food so the child looks like they cannot gain weight, heat up
thermometers so it looks like the child has a fever, make up lab results, give the child
drugs to make the child throw up or have diarrhea, and/or infect an intravenous line to
make the child look sick. There are usually signs in the mother causing the child to be ill.
Most people with this problem are mothers with small children. Some are adult children
taking care of an elderly parent. The mother often works in health care and knows a lot
about medical care. She can describe the child's symptoms in great medical detail. She
likes to be very involved with the health care team and is liked by the staff for the care
she gives her child. These mothers are really involved with their children. They seem
devoted to the child. This makes it hard for health professionals to see a diagnosis of
Munchausen syndrome by proxy. These are the many signs of a child: the child sees a lot
of doctors and has been in the hospital a lot, the child often has had many tests, surgeries,
or other procedures, the child has strange symptoms that don't quite fit any disease and
the symptoms do not match the test results, blood samples do not match the child's blood
type, and/or drugs or chemicals are found in the child's urine, blood, or stool.
In January...