Can munchausen syndrome be mental symptoms?
Could a parent have Munchausen syndrome and the "illness" symptoms they complain about be mental rather than physical? For instance, a parent constantly complains of "behavioral" issues and tries to get their kid on psych pills and institutionalized ? A parent who has watched so much Dr. Phill and other psychiology shows, that they try to imply it on their own kid?
All the reading I am doing for this disorder only point to physical issues such as a parent who opens wounds on their kid so they can take it to the dr for a recheck, says their kids have fevers when they don't, headaches, etc. The person in question only complains about mental issues.
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it could be munchausen by proxy, but not necessarily. it could be that the parent is paranoid and has been watching too much dr.phil...or they are a perfectionist, and expect everyone, especially their own child, to be perfect and anything less qualifies as them having a disorder. in this case they probably use dr.phil to justify their exaggerated points. (
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Munchausen by proxy syndrome any doctors out there know about this?
Any fathers out there who went through the same thing?
I really need advice, My brother is 60,000 in debt trying to get custody of his son, the courts are just so messed up, they always favor the mother just because they think a child should be with the mother, my brother got custody of him and his son was doing really well and alot better, somehow the mother conned her way into getting him back, we believe that his mother has a disorder called Munchausen by proxy syndrome
it is when the mother purposely hurts or claims that all theses things are wrong with their kid to get attention for themselves, she is emotionally damaging my nefew, she has him on all sorts of meds and claims that he has all this stuff wrong with him, he does have some serious issues but only when he is with her
especially sexual problems, he is only 12, my brother only wants to protect his son and loves him very much, he has tried all he can to show everyone how she is but no one wants to take the time to investigate it, I feel so bad for him, he is such a good dad, does anyone have the same kind of problem? What have you done to get custody back, just luck? lots of money? has any one heard of this disorder? ANY ADVICE PLEASE!!!!
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Munchausen by proxy is a serious problem which leads to the direct endangerment of the child. I am not a lawyer, but many of my relatives are lawyers and I believe you can file an injunction for the child's mother to undergo psychiatric evaluation and/or for the child to be checked by a court appointed doctor to verify the mother's medical claims about the child. If you go off of the fact that you are concerned for the child's well-being and the possible harm that may befall the child. You can cite the People vs. Marybeth Tinning where a mother of eight children, all of them died very young due to medical complications, confessed to smothering two of them. It is generally believed that she had a direct hand in killing all of her children but this has not been proved. She was later diagnosed with Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome.
If the mother of your nephew is in fact suffering from Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, then your nephew is at great risk. If the injunction works and the child is found to not have any medical problems, then she should have to undergo a court ordered psychiatric evaluation where she might be found to be unfit to have custody of your nephew.
If the court ordered doctor does find the medical problems to legitimate, then be on the look out for the signs of physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse. If you've noticed a marked change in personality of your nephew, such as withdrawn nature or high anxiety, then you can file another injunction for your nephew to undergo psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is being abused or neglected.
I wish you luck. Please remember I am not a professional by any means and that I encourage you to seek legal counsel (NOT the people you see in commercials) and other professional help. (
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Could this be Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (urgent)?
Simply put, my 52-year-old single, broke aunt with severe Hepatitis C adopted a boy from Nepal a couple years ago. He's now 5, and after numerous serious medical scares (from his mother), my family (I'm only 17) has had to take him for a few months here and a few months there. His mom recently came to pick him up after a brief visit (2.5 weeks) and the two stayed at my other aunt's house an hour away while she is on vacation. Within the first 24 hours of having her son back, my aunt called us 5 times complaining about various situations including that we should have only used soap once a week when he bathed him because he has dry skin (he doesn't), he was sick with a fever (he was fine the entire time we had him), he had blood in his stool (he never did while here), he came with fleas and bedbugs (we have neither) and that she had to take him to the emergency room. When he was at our house 2 days ago he was totally fine; quite hyper, running around, being a typical 5-year-old. He never complained of anything the entire time he was here.
My aunt has various mental disorders (ADD, OCD, hypochondria), but can't take medicine for any of them because they'll destroy her liver. Also, she works in the medical field. That's why I'm curious as to if it could by Munchausen Syndrome. She's supposed to take him back to Atlanta tomorrow morning, but she's now convinced that she has to stay here and have us take care of him while she goes back, because honestly, she's a terrible mother. Since adopting him, she's just been shipping him out to friends' and relatives' houses all year round. She shows very little maternal instinct.
Help, anybody?
She seriously should NOT have been able to adopt a child. We're not entirely sure how she got approved (I have another aunt who adopted 2 boys and is a great mother to them, so we know a lot about the process), but we know that the reason she went to Nepal is because it has some of the most lenient adoption laws. In fact, it has pretty much NO adoption laws. Seriously, though, she should not have gotten this kid. He would have been loads better off staying in the orphanage for a few months longer until another parent or couple had the opportunity to adopt him.
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There is the possibility that your aunt has Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy. There is also the possibility that she is projecting her hypochondriasis onto her child, and doesn't mean to get attention from the situation but just can't help herself (that is, she isn't making it up - she genuinely DOES believe all of these things are wrong with him).
Munchhausen's is characterized by repeated abuse of a child to intentionally make them ill so that they have to seek medical care, thus bringing attention to the "loving" parent that they so strongly desire. It doesn't sound like your aunt is abusing the boy, but that she genuinely thinks all of these things are wrong with him when they simply aren't. Since she is a hypochondriac herself, she seems to be projecting that by thinking that not only is everything wrong with her, but everything is wrong with him too.
If you are concerned for the boy's physical or psychological welfare, you should call a lawyer and ask what they think you should do legally in this situation. If you call child protective services but she is not hurting him, it would put all of you in a very stressful situation, the child most of all. However if there is ANY chance that he is in real danger, it is better to call CPS and have it end up being nothing, than to send him back with her and risk injury to him. Since you are 17, bring this up to your parents and ask what they think needs to be done for the boy's well-being. Good luck. (
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Do you know anyone who had Munchausen by proxy syndrome?
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/tc/munchausen-syndrome-by-proxy-topic-overview
What was involved? I'm asking because a family member was recently diagnosed with ADHD, but not before his mother convinced a different psychiatrist that he was bipolar. After that, she went back to the second psychiatrist and convinced him that the boy has Tourettes too (which he does not.) Is it possible she has Munchausen syndrome by proxy?
The child is now 19 and is safe because we have been telling him and his mother that she muct not project her stuff onto him. I believe he is not in immediate danger, though that could have been the case when he was younger. Probably some of you might have guessed that it is my stepson, who pretty much lives with us at this time. Mother is an excellent manipulator of psychiatrists, and has a history of at least 3 suicide attempts (possible phony) and other problems galore. Thanks for your concern.
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My mother did. She taught us to be ill, that being ill gave you "good" attention. It took a long time to reprogram this in myself, my sisters have not done so well.
It really sounds like this is the case with this mother also.Even after the child is "rescued" it will be a long unlearning process if it has been going on for a long time. The mom will need help as much as the boy. She is not bad, just sick. Somewhere she was taught this behavior. Good luck to you & manyBlessings for your helping them.
Blessings & Peace! (
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Do You Know Anyone Who Has (Or Has Had) Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome?
Ugh, I hate to say this, but I really believe my aunt had/has this. I would hear all the stories my parents would say about the insane medical treatments she would put her children through. And of course I was still too young to say anything about it.
Thankfully her children are now grown, and have moved very far away from her. She is also a hypochondriac. (
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I think my mom has munchausen syndrome, how should I bring this up to her doctor??
My mom has been slowly losing her mind, for lack of a better term, for as long as I can remember. Not too long ago, I came across Munchausen Syndrome somehow. This describes her to a T, and I want to mention it to doctor so that this can stop finally.
What I'm thinking is that I need soomething to back up what I'm saying to her doctor. I know I'll have to wait longer, but what I'm thinking of doing is just documenting her suspicious behavior, doctors appointments, and all that for a few months & also keeping track of what meds she is on every month..
This has just gotten so bad that I can't take it anymore, and neither can our family, financially. Every year by April or May, my parents have reached their out of pocket limit on their insurance policy- that's a lot of medical expenses!!
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Documenting her behaviour is a good start.
If you know what she is using to make her self sick or harm herself you could take a sample to show the doc.
But honestly if she has been seeing that doctor for a while and he knows she has a history of unexplained illness he will certainly take you information very seriously.
Let him know about her behaviour and if she does have the syndrome im sure he will put two and two together from what you have told him and from her medical records.
If he believes she doesnt not have munchausen but you still have concerns you could try seeing a psychologist or psyschiatrist to get advice on how best to deal with the situation.
i dont recommend waiting much longer incase she does seriouse damage to herself during that time.
good luck and i hope things work out (
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Is my sister really sick? or munchausen syndrome?
My sibling has a list of diseases and I don't want to call her a liar, so I am just wondering if this many conditions is normal, or even probable. She has lied in the past and even tho you forgive and try to forget its so difficult with the multitude of disorders she has. please help! Here is the list she is a 34 yr old female, Fibromialga , Lupus, Diabetes, MS, Rumetoid Arthritis, Epilepsy, Cancer Tumors in the Stomach, and a detatched kidney and needs a transplant and dialisis shots at home???? She avoids anyone taking her to doc but her husband, all our info is through what she says. I want to do the right thing, i recently accused her of having only one disease Munchausen Syndrome, which is having a list of fictisious diseases to get attention. She has children which she has also labelled with Asbergers Syndrome, Diabetes and Bipolar, oh yeah Dislexia. she has disowned me and taken away my seeing my neices and i want to do the right thing if i made a mistake. any help is very appreciated.
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Now you know your sibling best but I believe it's possible for her to have all of these things, but maybe she's a little confused by the amount of information she is given at the Dr's office.
I have Lupus, Right sided brain seizures (I don't like the term epilepsy), osteoarthritis, reynaud's syndrome, a mitral valve prolapse, intersticial cystitis, ulcers in my mouth and a couple of other things that I've probably forgotten.
She could very well be confused that she has all of these problems because they test for about everything you have mentioned to rule them out and if the Doctor didn't give a clear diagnosis she may have just assumed she had these things wrong. (Sorry about that long sentence). I hope that she doesn't have all these things wrong with her.
So I guess my answer is, yes it's possible, but in my opinion not probable.
Good Luck (
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So when a person has Munchausen by proxy Syndrome... Do They "Baby" Their Child?
Like I said in an earlier question... My step sister's mom has this. Does a woman with this problem "baby" their child? My step sister is 6 and she acts like a two year old. She wants to ride in the baby seat in the cart. She was in diapers till she was 5. She will throw a tantrum in the middle of the store when she doesn't get her way. Is this caused by her mother's Munchausen by proxy Syndrome or something else?
She has been diagnosed with Munchausen by proxy Syndrome.... I was wondering if this was another sympton.
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how can i prove someone may have Munchausen syndrome?
That can be difficult to prove. You would need some kind of physical evidence. What raises your concern? You can email me and elaborate if you want. If you feel that this is happening, contact your local DSS and speak with a counselor. They would have the resources to initiate an investigation. If someone is causing physical harm just to them selves, you may want to speak with a police officer.
Paramedic in SC (
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I have munchausen's syndrome but my psychologist won't help me!?
She says I'm 'faking it' and just 'doing it for attention'. This is like the 8th doctor I tried to get munchausen's treatment from and they all say 'oh no you don't have it, you just want attention from a doctor.' How do I prove to her I really do have munchausen's?
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I auctually had to look this up on Wikipedia.-"In Münchausen syndrome, the affected person exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves in order to gain investigation, treatment, attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. In some extremes, people suffering from Münchausen's Syndrome are highly knowledgeable about the practice of medicine, and are able to produce symptoms that result in multiple unnecessary operations. For example, they may inject a vein with infected material, causing widespread infection of unknown origin, and as a result cause lengthy and costly medical analysis and prolonged hospital stay. The role of "patient" is a familiar and comforting one, and it fills a psychological need in people with Münchausen's. It is distinct from hypochondriasis in that patients with Münchausen syndrome are aware that they are exaggerating, whereas sufferers of hypochondriasis believe they actually have a disease."
----Im a little confused, you say she says your faking a syndrome that involves faking diseases, or is she just trying to diagnose and explain your syndrome? (
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