Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy

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by the name of Meadow first described �,� when he discovered that the mothers of his epileptic patients were inducing their children�s seizures. Due to the extremity of the abuse, nine percent of Munchausen victims die at the hands of their perpetrator, which is the child�s own mother ninety-eight percent of the time (Feldman 147). MSBP is a perplexing and unfathomable disorder. In an attempt to understand it we must look at the characteristics of the offenders and victims, at the motives behind the abuse, and at how to detect and prevent this potentially fatal form of child abuse.
There seem to be common characteristics among the women who have been diagnosed with having MSBP. They often work in a medical setting, providing them with the expertise needed to feign unrecognizable symptoms in her victims. They often add their own blood to the child�s urine, or have the child consume any of an assortment of different medications (Feldman 150). The offender usually has ...

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mother is responsible for the child�s illnesses. Unfortunately, most of the victims of MSBP are too young to talk. Victims are usually under the age of six, but more commonly MSBP is found occurring in children between birth and three years (Feldman 147). Recognizing some of the predominant characteristics of the offender, make it possible to understand why some women are capable of such a horrific act. There are several different reasons behind putting on this deadly charade.
The offender often has a very negative sense of herself. She is seeking control, power, and the development of nurturing relationships with doctors and hospital staff. It is important to understand that the ...

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