{"id":39615,"date":"2024-11-10T04:59:35","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T04:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essays.homeworkacetutors.com\/2024\/11\/effects-of-munchausen-syndrome-by-proxy-literature-review\/"},"modified":"2024-11-10T04:59:35","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T04:59:35","slug":"effects-of-munchausen-syndrome-by-proxy-literature-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/effects-of-munchausen-syndrome-by-proxy-literature-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Effects of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy | Literature Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What are some of the factors associated with mother\u2019s inflicting consistent harm on their children? Munchausen by proxy. A review of the literature.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/p>\n

The literature on Mynchausen\u2019s syndrome by proxy is considerable and growing at a rapid rate. Many professionals are sure that the condition exists and there appears to be an equally certain number in the non-professional sector who argue vociferously that such professionals are misguided. The purpose of this review is to determine the evidence base for the condition (Sackett, 1996). and to try to present a rational assessment of the very emotive arguments in this area.<\/p>\n

Literature review<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first article that we shall consider is the book by Feldman (et al 1994) which appeared a decade ago, but is useful as it was considered by many to be the \u201cgold standard\u201d on the topic in its time. The book itself is written as a series of case narratives followed by a discussion on each. This is clearly instructive, but the most important seminal feature of the book is the fact that it was the first to draw a clear distinction between factitious illness and malingering.<\/p>\n

It describes the authors\u2019 perception that factitious disorders lie along a spectrum from the benign use of illness on one extreme to the syndrome of Mynchausen\u2019s syndrome by proxy at the other.<\/p>\n

It is fair to comment that, inevitably, thinking has progressed since this book was published and the basic amalgamation of factitious illness with malingering no longer finds a resonance with mainstream practice today. Malingering is defined here as \u201cconscious manipulation for external gain such as compensation\u201d while factitious disorder is defined as \u201can unconscious motivation to gain attention or control\u201d. More modern opinion believes that many people who seek compensation after trauma are genuine, as can be their symptoms, whether they are purely physical or psychological.<\/p>\n

The more modern appreciation of the problem would consider that malingering is a conscious manipulation \u2013 and therefore not an illness, whereas the factitious disorders generally are essentially unconsciously motivated and therefore more akin to a hysterical conversion disorder and therefore a true illness.<\/p>\n

The next book to consider is a more recent publication which takes the same presentation \u2013 discussion format, as the last. This book (Gregory 2004) is remarkable as it is written by a survivor of the abuse from Mynchausen\u2019s syndrome by proxy and, in our opinion, should be read by every worker in the field.<\/p>\n

It presents a remarkably perceptive insight into the mechanisms of the disorder together with a remarkable analysis of the actual resultant coping mechanisms employed by the proxy child who progressively gains both insight and resilience as she gets older and approaches adulthood. It is equally important for the consideration that the author develops for her younger siblings as she becomes aware of them being damaged in the same way. From the healthcare professional\u2019s point of view, there are a number of truly insightful comments including:<\/p>\n

But the memories that hang heaviest are the easiest to recall. They hold in their creases the ability to change one\u2019s life, organically, forever. Even when you shake them out, they\u2019ve left permanent wrinkles in the fabric of your soul.<\/p>\n

Such books as these two are clearly inspirational and edifying, but they do not contribute to the evidence base directly. For that we must turn to the peer reviewed literature. Professors Craft and Hall (2004) have published an excellent review of the pertinent issues which looks, with a degree of concern, at the media presentation of the issues.<\/p>\n

They suggest that the presentation of Mynchausen\u2019s syndrome by proxy in the media tends to both glamorise and demonise the condition in a way that is very unhelpful to the healthcare professionals working in the area. They cite tabloid phrases such as \u201cMeadow\u2019s discredited theory of Munchausen syndrome by proxy\u201d as being truly hostile to the overriding needs of the victims.<\/p>\n

The paper itself sets out the evolution of the condition from Caffey\u2019s 1942 paper, where the condition was described but not named, through the papers by Money and Werlwas (1976) to the present day assessment of the condition. The authors specifically consider the issues of Mynchausen\u2019s syndrome by proxy in relation to severe child abuse and apparent cot death, and provide what should perhaps be considered a most authoritative resume on the issue.<\/p>\n

In terms of specific psychopathology we can turn to papers such as the one by Eminson D (et al 2000) who suggest that the perpetrators have an increased incidence of personality disorder or, more rarely a psychotic illness.<\/p>\n

Firstman R (et al 1998) point to the fact that women who suffer from the condition tend to have reported a number of \u201cfantasies, obsessions and anxieties\u201d regarding their babies which typically focus on their perceived inability to care adequately for them.<\/p>\n

Golden M (et al. 2003) adds the observation that many of these fantasies include the worry that the mother may actually harm the child together with the observation that there is an associated increase in the incidence of Post natal depression in these cases.<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caffey 1942,\u00a0quoted in Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.\u00a0Fabricated or induced illness<\/em> by carers<\/em>.\u00a0London: RCPCH, 2002.<\/p>\n

Craft AW and D M B Hall 2004 Munchausen syndrome by proxy and sudden infant death BMJ, May 2004; 328: 1309 \u2013 1312 ;<\/p>\n

Eminson DM, Postlethwaite RJ. 2000\u00a0Munchausen syndrome<\/em> by proxy abuse: a practical approach<\/em>.\u00a0Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, 2000.<\/p>\n

Feldman MD, Ford C, Reinhold T 1994\u00a0Patient or Pretender: Inside the Strange World of Factitious Disorders\u00a0London: Wiley, ISBN 0-471-58080-5<\/p>\n

Firstman R, Talan J. 1998\u00a0The death of innocents<\/em>.\u00a0New York: Bantam, 1998.<\/p>\n

Golden MH, Samuels MP, Southall DP. 2003\u00a0How to distinguish between neglect and deprivational abuse.\u00a0Arch Dis Child<\/em> 2003;88: 105-7.<\/p>\n

Gregory J 2004\u00a0Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood\u00a0London: Century books ISBN 1 844 13442 3<\/p>\n

Money and Werlwas (1976)\u00a0Quoted in Fisher G, Mitchell I.\u00a0Is Munchausen syndrome by proxy really a syndrome?\u00a0Arch Dis Child<\/em> 1995;72: 530-4.<\/p>\n

Sackett, (1996).\u00a0Doing the Right Thing Right: Is Evidence-Based Medicine the Answer?\u00a0Ann Intern Med, Jul 1996; 127: 91 \u2013 94.<\/p>\n

7.12.05 PDG Word count 1,083\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are some of the factors associated with mother\u2019s inflicting consistent harm on their children? Munchausen by proxy. A review of the literature. Introduction The literature on Mynchausen\u2019s syndrome by proxy is considerable and growing at a rapid rate. Many professionals are sure that the condition exists and there appears to be an equally certain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8190,8191,5804],"tags":[8194,8193,8197,8196,8192,8195],"class_list":["post-39615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dissertations-topics","category-essay-writer-2","category-psychology","tag-best-essay-writing-website-for-phd-essays","tag-cheap-dissertation-writer-usa-and-uk","tag-custom-essay-and-assignment-writing-australia","tag-doctoral-dissertation-writing-service-china","tag-help-write-my-paper-ai-free-for-students","tag-online-thesis-writing-service-sample"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39615\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}