Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) refers to a psychological disorder that is characterized by attention-seeking behaviours attributed to caregivers. The behaviours are often projected through those under the care of the caregivers as a way of gaining attention from another party or person. Although MSP can be considered as being one of the rarest mental disorders, it mainly affects primary caregivers, who in most cases are mothers. Wittkowski et al. (2017) take note of how MSP is exhibited where mothers or primary caregivers gain attention by seeking medical assistance even though the symptoms associated with their children are exaggerated or made-up. In such cases, the deliberate actions by the mother or the caregiver often result in worsening of the symptoms, as he or she may be involved in providing health care professionals with information that cannot be justified through medical tests.
Wittkowski et al. (2017) indicate that patients suffering from MSP are not motivated by the desire to achieve material gains but are often excited by the idea of having to gain attention using those under their care. In cases where a caregiver suffers from MSP, the challenge for health professions is trying to identify the specific symptoms associated with the child's condition while remaining ignorant to the fact that the caregiver may do anything to harm the child. If anything, the caregiver is seen as being extremely distracted from the fact that the child is sick; thus, highlighting their concern. Most often, it becomes hard for medical professionals to link the symptoms associated with the child’s illnesses to the inaccurate information that is being provided by the caregiver. The challenge extends towards the fact that it becomes hard for health professionals actually to make an adequate diagnosis.
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Some of the key symptoms associated with MSP include primary caregivers being overly concerned about the health of the persons that they are caring for, history of a child’s hospitalization without any identifiable symptoms, and reports of worsening of a child’s condition by the mother that cannot be supported through medical tests. Sousa Filho, Kanomata, Feldman, & Maluf Neto (2017) indicate that the diagnosis of MSP is often challenging considering that the symptoms are not usually considered as possible factors that define one's exposure to a psychological disorder. Instead, the symptoms, as have been indicated, only seek to suggest that the primary caregiver, who is the mother, is concerned with her child’s health. Additionally, the difficulty in the diagnosis of MSP is often attributed to the fact that there exist notable cases of dishonesty on the part of the caregiver, which become hard to determine the truth.
Sousa Filho, Kanomata, Feldman, & Maluf Neto (2017) point out that no reliable statistics are available to show how conventional MSP is both in and outside the United States attributed to it being one of the rarest psychological disorders with most of the cases remaining undetected. The primary treatment and management approach used in dealing with MSP is psychotherapy, which is essential towards ensuring that patients change their thinking and behaviour. However, it must be noted that taking up this treatment approach is often challenging, considering that most of the patients may not be ready or willing to admit that there is a problem. The primary goal for the health professionals involved in the treatment and management of MSP is to ensure that potential victims, who, in most cases, are children, are protected from possible harm that may arise from the need by the caregiver to seek attention.
References
Sousa Filho, D. D., Kanomata, E. Y., Feldman, R. J., & Maluf Neto, A. (2017). Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen syndrome by proxy: a narrative review. Einstein (Sao Paulo) , 15 (4), 516-521.
Wittkowski, H., Hinze, C., Häfner-Harms, S., Oji, V., Masjosthusmann, K., Monninger, M., ... & Foell, D. (2017). Munchausen by proxy syndrome mimicking systemic autoinflammatory disease: case report and review of the literature. Pediatric Rheumatology , 15 (1), 19.
