Munchausen by Proxy: Who and How? A Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51338/rppsm.395Keywords:
Child Abuse, Factitious Disorders, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy/diagnosis, Parents, Physician’s RoleAbstract
Munchausen by proxy syndrome is a relatively rare form of child abuse but with important short, medium and long‐ ‐term consequences for the child. In most cases, the abuser is the victim’s mother and deliberately and persistently acts by exaggerating, fabricating, simulating or inducing signs and symptoms in the child, leading Healthcare professionals to believe that the child has some real pathology, resulting in a fruitless diagnostic process. Little is known about
the perpetrators’ characteristics, namely about their personal history, psychiatric background and demographic characteristics, with the vast majority of the literature focusing on the victim’s characteristics. It is a challenging diagnosis and probably with an underestimated prevalence, therefore, this literature review intends to focus on the profile of the aggressors, in order to increase Healthcare professionals’ awareness to this matter and help them to make an earlier diagnosis.
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References
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