Münchausen Syndrome By Proxy

The Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a term introduced by Roy Meadow in 1977. Meadow described this syndrome in reference to the subjects as “patients with some amazing medical stories full of lies and inventions, in an alleged attempt to find a protective environment in hospital and to attract the attention of doctors ”.

This syndrome is not named after the person who discovered it, but from Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Baron of Münchausen (1720-1797). German baron of the sixteenth century told stories about his prowess as a soldier and sportsman. Meadow added the phrase “by proxy” because the patient invents someone else’s symptomatology.

In the same year, Bruman and Stevens announce a case of familial Münchausen syndrome which is given the name of Polle syndrome. Polle syndrome and Müchausen syndrome by proxy refer to the same pathology.

Münchausen syndrome by proxy, a form of child maltreatment

Münchausen syndrome by proxy is a particular form of maltreatment in which one of the two parents (usually the mother) simulates the existence of problems or causes symptoms or signs in the child in order to seek medical assistance and undergo diagnosis. and expensive or dangerous therapies.

It therefore constitutes a very dangerous form of child maltreatment. Diagnosis is complicated and often the pathology coexists with the patient for a long time before being identified. Serious complications and even death can result from this.

A fact that really happened

In order to better understand what we mean when we talk about Münchausen syndrome by proxy, we want to give you a concrete example. Below, we report a news that appeared in the Daily Mail :

Kaylene Bowel, a 34-year-old mother, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated injuries to her son. The mother admitted that she had convinced several doctors for eight years that her son was seriously ill. She even went so far as to argue that her son needed a lung transplant; all these “pleas” convinced the doctors to subject the child to unnecessary surgery. It seems that the lady has turned to doctors in different hospitals a total of 323 times since the baby was born.

The child was operated on thirteen times for suspected diseases, according to the Daily Mail . The mother also created fundraising websites to pay for the expensive treatment her son would have to undergo.

This mother may be suffering from Münchausen syndrome by proxy. As you can see, this is a form of child maltreatment, in which one of the two parents induces real or apparent symptoms of a disease in the child.

What does Münchausen syndrome by proxy really consist of?

This pathology is considered a fictitious syndrome. A simulated disease is characterized by the appearance of symptoms invented by the subject  in order to receive medical attention and be able to assume the role of the patient.

A person with this disorder deliberately creates the symptoms of an organic disease or exaggerates the real ones. It also hinders the course of therapy because it basically craves constant attention from medical personnel. He may even go so far as to undergo unnecessary interventions and studies in order to maintain his role as a patient.

The risk is that he will end up really ill. For example, think of a person who spontaneously takes a drug responsible for certain symptoms, but who denies taking it at the time of the visit. The most logical thing to do is to subject the alleged sufferer to a great deal of evidence, some of which are risky, which would be justified if the suspicion were well founded.

The obsession with being subjected to a medical examination

M ü nchausen syndrome by proxy is characterized by an obsession or an overwhelming desire to be examined by a doctor. This obsession causes the need to continually go to different hospitals, very often giving false names to avoid suspicion.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines these people as “patients on pilgrimage”. They go to different hospitals with the overriding need for assistance for their fictitious ailments. There is a very famous case that has this syndrome as protagonists and an English patient called William Mcllroy (1906-1983), who underwent 400 surgeries. He spent only six months of life without being admitted to a clinic.

What are the symptoms of M ü nchausen syndrome by proxy?

Münchausen syndrome by proxy manifests itself through a series of symptoms, sometimes difficult to identify. Let’s see some of them:

• The child’s symptoms are not attributable to the classic label of illness. This means that the diagnosis becomes complicated.

• The child gets better once hospitalized, but symptoms recur more and more often when he is home again . Sometimes it is the mother who causes the symptoms, even in the hospital.

• Parents show themselves to be “too helpful” or “overly attentive”.

• Both parents or one of the two are always involved in the environment of the medical examination, which can be the infirmary.

What are the causes of Münchausen syndrome by proxy?

This syndrome is caused by psychological problems in the adult. It almost always concerns a mother who abuses her child by trying to continually subject him to medical checks, thus exposing him to a situation of risk to his health, just to justify this supervision.

It is rare and difficult to diagnose.  In fact, it is believed that there are more cases than we can imagine.