Psychological disorders can cause issues directly or indirectly to someone. They are a serious matter and can be a very harmful problem or even put someone in a dangerous situation. Here we are going to look a Munchausen by Proxy and see the effects it has on the victim. This disorder was named for Baron Karl Friedrich von Munchausen. He lived from 1720-1797, was born in Germany, joined the Russian military, and was known to tell fantastic tales about the battles he participated in against the Ottoman Turks (Dryden-Edwards, 2016). Munchausen by Proxy and defined as a mental disorder in which a caregiver, usually a mother, falsifies illness in a child to gain attention of medical personnel (Gilbert, 2014, pg 73-79). Many people also consider …show more content…
The name Munchausen by proxy syndrome was coined from the adult “Munchausen syndrome” because it seemed to mimic the adult disorder of illness fabrication but involved the use of a child as a type of proxy (Schreier & Libow, 1996, p 40-44). Many abusers seek to get there frustration out but with this disorder the mother wishes to gain positive attention from the abusing. Other motivations can be to gain sympathy and show off their medical knowledge to others. The mother herself may induce the symptoms by giving the victim sedatives or poisons. In some cases, others have faked bleeding or added chemicals to the victim’s specimens. Some of the warning signs could be the mother not wanting to leave the child alone, symptoms are only present when mother is present, and the victim has been to many doctors without a clear diagnosis. There are also many behaviors associated with cases. On most accounts the mother seems totally devoted to their child and very interested in their child’s medical problems. Most of the victims of the disorder are under the age of 6 years old. The victims are equal between sexes. Sadly, the victims learn that they will get more attention that they crave when they play sick in front …show more content…
Variables investigated in victims of MSBP included: sex, age, age of symptoms, age of suspicion of MSBP, MSBP confirmation age, and presence/absence of findings in sibling (Ozdemir et al., 2015). They also looked at characteristics of the incidents such as symptoms or why MSBP was suspected. The cases were categorized as “simulated” or “produced.” Simulated is where the caregiver gives false or exaggerated information while produced are symptoms the caregiver inflicts on the victim. Doctors went through interviews with the victim and caregiver and their relationship was evaluated. In order to gather consistent and reliable information about the family dynamics and risk factors, other members of the family were also interviewed multiple times (Ozdemir et al., 2015). They also assed the caregiver’s personality characteristics. Two of the mothers did not consent, three mothers provided invalid answers, and the other three had defensive profiles. So, in this these cases the assessment didn’t provide valuable information. After the study a definite diagnosis of MSBP was established and collaborations with different institutions were provided for the well-being of the victims and for
The importance of cultural legacies is very prevalent throughout chapter seven of Outliers. The chapter, “The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes”, discusses the history of Korean Air and the unbelievable number of plane crashes the company had throughout the 1980’s and 90’s. The author, Malcolm Gladwell, then goes on to investigate the causes of the crashes and more specifically the cultural traditions that cause the accidents.
Artingstall, Kathryn.. Practical Aspects of Munchausen by Proxy and Munchausen Syndrome Investigation.. FL: CRC Press, 1999. Print. (tags: none | edit tags)
Does one really know the definition of psychological instability? Perhaps it has an existence at the mental institutional treatment sanitarium here in southern California. The patient of evaluation, Holden Caulfield, a seventeen year old Caucasian male, weighs approximately 120lbs with a skinny, lanky stature and is 6 feet and 2.5 inches tall. Caulfield has crew-cut hair that is graying on the right side. The patient was an occasional drinker and smoker but has now cut cold turkey due to being institutionalized. Frequently drastic mood swings have been documented, as well as, emotional breakdowns, evident sexual frustration, deep depression, clear resentment, a rebellious attitude, signs of being socially inept and abnormal immaturity for a boy of his age. Based on professional observation, it is obvious that the patient exhibits some bipolar and multiple personality characteristics; his obsession with finding the flaws in the people and world around him has contributed to putting him in a dangerously depressive state.
The denial of child care for her two children’s has added fear, helplessness, hopelessness, loss, of control and guilt which impacts Katy health and contributed to worsening of her health. Katy was experiencing a situational crisis because of her medical condition and her concern to provide for her children. It occurs when an individual produces an overwhelming response as they confronted with a stressful event. Factors that contribute to Katy crisis are high demand to provide for her children, denial of child care services, medical condition, and a single parent. These factors play a critical role in her health outcome and progression of her disease and psychological state. Therefore, prolonged stress included adverse psychological and physical health effects as well as the increased risk of premature death (Denollet, J., et al.
Charles has agreed to medication protocol of Haldol injections and Resperadol. He adamantly refuses psychotherapy. While hospitalized Charles makes reference to being sexually abused he refuses to go into depth or give specifics. Prior to the diagnosis Charles’s mother reports became withdrawn at the age of seven Charles’s father died in a car accident.
These methods are most common in infant cases by 69 percent. As the child ages, weapons are more likely to be used by a percentage of 72.3 (Orenstein). Highly publicized cases shine the light on parental mental health and how it can affect children. The reasons or categories for committing filicide include; altruistic filicide, acutely psychotic filicide, unwanted child filicide, accidental filicide, and spousal revenge filicide. The cases that will be discussed in this paper will fall under the altruistic filicide, acutely psychotic filicide, and unwanted child.
For my research paper I chose the two mental illnesses of hypochondriasis and Munchausen by proxy. I chose these topics because I have an aunt related by marriage who is thought to have hypochondriasis and Munchausen by proxy because like hypochondriasis it can be used as a way to gain attention or sympathy from others. I will start off with hypochondriasis since it is the illness I have the most familiarity with.
Rita Mae Brown, an American writer, once said, “The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you” (Brown). Psychological and mental disorders are very common in the world, but it is commonly hidden by the public and a majority of the time, people are unclear if they have one or not. Sometimes these disorders are not just harmful to the individual person, but also to those surrounding the infected person. One particular syndrome in which the environment surrounding a person is at risk is Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a peculiar psychological disease that scientists and other medical professions are still trying to find the origins and explanations for this syndrome. Throughout the course of history, Munchausen has developed into a full-fledged disease and it still exists to this day.
Psychological maltreatment, like many other forms of abuse can also be passed down through intergenerational transmission. It is not unlikely for parents to psychologically mistreat their children due to their own past or childhood experiences with psychologically abuse. For example, it is not uncommon during the course of an investigation of physiological maltreatment that it is discovered that the perpetrator had their own form of abuse history in the past. Often time’s people look at psychological maltreatment as a consequence resulting from some other form of abuse, mainly physical and sexual, but tend to overlook the fact that it may also occur as an individual form. Psychological maltreatment can take more than one form. During the course of researching for this paper I learned that there are three typical forms of behavior in which people follow when displaying this type of abuse against children. The three types are acting in an aggressive, rejecting, and lessening
According to the experts, sometimes the parents usually don’t know what they are doing. it is also clear that the focus to evade such tragedy is to focus on the prevention which can be done through family and friends being there for parents. This would then enable a parent deal maturely with the stress by getting help.
The term Munchausen syndrome by Proxy was originally coined by Meadow in (1977), to describe a situation in which a caregiver "creates factitious symptoms or signs in order to mislead the physician into believing the child is ill" (Blumenthal, 106). Meadow (2002) further defines Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy,
The physician will question the patient about any stressors she may be contending with at home or work prior to her entering the hospital. The physician will order lab tests and speak with the patient to understand the psychological factors; a referral will be made for making a final diagnosis. After the physician reviews both lab tests and the psychological factors, a referral will be made for the patient to see a clinician. The referral will focus on obtaining support and stabilization. The clinical assessment will gather information using written forms as a first step, including releases to speak with family members. The second step would be to invite the family along with the client in an effort to obtain a better understanding of existing medical conditions along with any past mental disorders. Abuse as a child or abuse as an adult will be determined. The clinician will evaluate if the client is portraying any signs due to alcoholism or a drug addictions. An example of one question her clin...
As humans when we are faced with any psychological or emotional problems, our initial thought is to turn to a therapist, doctor or any other health practitioners. Our initial thought when we are faced with problems regarding our health is to turn to a health professional because for ages that’s how it has been. When it comes to our health, health professionals nowadays do more harm than help. Many might disagree, but often patients are misdiagnosed with mental illnesses they do not have. Misdiagnosis occurs when a therapist or other health practitioners decide that a patient is suffering from a condition that he or she may not be suffering with. When misdiagnosed, patients are given unnecessary treatment, which could potentially
When it comes to mental health and diagnosing there is many challenges that a therapist or clinician could encounter. In any professional occupation one has to consider all of the ethical principles put in place as well as the legal laws; if one is incompliant to these ethical guidelines in a mental health field, in varying circumstances, failure to comply with these codes could involve legal issues which could even result in lose of licensure. Common ethical issues involved in the mental health field could include: misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis, legal incompetence, and health care fraud (misdiagnosis for insurance reimbursement).
In the past, mental illness was taboo to discuss and there was fear surrounding the topic. However, remarkable strides have been made in figuring out the causes of the disease and weighing the most effective treatments specialized for each specific disease. According to the American Psychotic Association, “A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.”