Münchhausen syndrome by proxy has reached a larger audience in recent years due to certain audiovisual products, such as the series “Sharp objects” (2018) and “The act” (2019). In which cases inspired by real stories are told and that are considerably in the media. However, this disorder was identified decades ago by Dr. Samuel Roy Meadow, specifically in 1977. It is a mental illness and a form of child abuse perpetrated by the child’s own caregiver, generally the maternal figure, which corresponds to a profile of narcissistic and manipulative parents.
The child’s caregiver is responsible for inventing or even provoking symptoms that show that the child is suffering from disorders or illnesses, which would cause a high demand for attention from the adult. A figure that is observed as selfless and dedicated by the rest of the people. This is Münchhausen syndrome by proxy. A mental illness whose origin or cause is unknown.
This pathology receives the clinical name of factitious disorder imposed on another, as pointed out by psychologist Montserrat Fernández. Although it is still known by its more popular name, Münchhausen syndrome. The complexity of this mental illness means that it is not always easy to identify it. “Due to how much they get involved with the patient on whom they provoke or invent false symptoms, it is a difficult disease to diagnose,” explains the specialist.
People who present this syndrome usually correspond to the figure of the mother, with knowledge related to the field of medical care, coming from broken, narcissistic families and with a past that was often marked by abuse or a situation complicated family. This is how psychologists and certain studies describe it.
These cases are not easy to identify, in fact, they usually require a great effort on the part of medical personnel to find sufficient evidence to raise suspicions and begin an investigation. But Münchhausen syndrome has a series of characteristic signs, according to Montserrat Fernández, which should be paid attention to to know if a child is suffering from its consequences.
