According to the literature, boys and girls are equally victimized in Munchausen’s Syndrome, and 77% to 90% of the time, the perpetrator is the child’s biological mother. In addition, 29% of perpetrators have symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome themselves.
What the Victim Might Look Like:
- Failure to thrive due to nutritional neglect
- Child has a history of multiple hospitalizations
- Is usually less than age 5 at the time of symptom onset
- Has a deceased sibling or a sibling with a complicated medical history
- Testing completed does not match the clinical picture of the child
- Worsening of the symptoms reported by the caregiver, but not seen by the medical providers
- May also exaggerate symptoms to obtain caregivers attention
- Symptoms worsen upon discharge
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
