What the Caregiver Might Do to Mimic Illness in the Child:
- Adding chemicals to the child’s urine or stool
- Withhold food so the child looks like they are anorexic
- Make up lab results to be abnormal
- Give the child drugs to make the child throw up or have diarrhea and abdominal pain
- Infect an intravenous line (IV) by adding feces or saliva to the IV site
- Applying fecal matter to wounds or rubbing dirt and coffee grounds into orthopedic pin sites
- Injecting urine into the child
What the Offender May Look Like:
- Usually is a parent and is typically the mother of the child, but can be the father
- May also be a health care professional
- The caregiver is very friendly and cooperative with the health care providers
- Appears quite concerned or overly concerned about the child or designated patient
- Are even willing to have the child undergo painful or risky procedures and/or operations in order to get the sympathy and special attention given to people who are truly ill
- They utilize many different medical providers and facilities as a way to earn praise from others for their devotion to the child’s care
- Tend to be quite “fluent” in the medical jargon and able to explain medical details easily
- Will not usually leave the child alone with the medical provider
For our newsletter and blog this month we are reviewing Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy. The blog topics for this month are:
- Munchausen’s: Definition (10/2/15)
- Munchausen’s: The Victim (10/9/15)
- Munchausen’s: The Offender (10/16/15)
- Munchausen’s: Criminal Implications (10/23/15)
Note: To see all posts in this topic, click here
