Munchausen by proxy
Caregiver-induced sickness
Munchausen by proxy is a form of abuse in which a caregiver—typically a parent—fabricates or induces illness in someone under their care, usually a child, to gain attention and sympathy for themselves.
The caregiver may exaggerate symptoms, contaminate medical tests, or directly harm the victim to maintain the deception.
Named after Baron Munchausen, a literary figure famous for outlandish lies, the syndrome is now formally called factitious disorder imposed on another.
The pediatrician suspected Munchausen by proxy when the child's mysterious symptoms disappeared during hospital stays.
- fabricatedInvented, not real
- illnessState of poor health
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- child abuseHarm inflicted on minors
- motherFemale parent
child · caregiver · hospital · hospital visits · attention · deception · medical · victim · sickness · poisoning · smothering · doctor · sympathy · manipulation · red flags · factitious · neglect · pathological
- medical crimesMedicare fraud, Medicaid fraud, medical malpractice, medical negligence, nursing home abuse
- deceptive disorderspathological lying, mythomania
- neglectneglect, neglected, abandonment, carelessness, disregard
- psychosomatic disordersconversion disorder, functional disorder, hypochondriasis, somatization, hysterical blindness