Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy : A Hidden Form of Child Abuse

Before I continue, let me first explain the Munchausen Syndrome. The Munchausen Syndrome is a condition in which the individual, suffering from the malady, fabricates an illness in order to gain attention. Queue the Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP).

This is the most deadliest form of child abuse in which the perpetrator (which is 90% of the time the mother of the victim or a femal guardian) deliberately makes the victim ill, so that the perpetrator will obtain attention from the victim's condition. Most victims of MSbP die. An example of a victim that did survive is Julie Gregory, who wrote the memoir, Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood. In the novel, Gregory tells of incidences in which her mother starved her, fed her matches, and did so many more terrible things to an innocent child.

The most sever case of MSbP noted was that of Marybeth Tinning. She had nine children (8 biological, 1 adopted) and she smothered them all at very young ages. There have been many more cases such as that one, but the reason that they are so hard to pin down is because people do not know about this syndrome. And it is so hard to believe that a mother (or father) would do this to their children.

I hope that this article brings more awareness to this very important issue. Read more about it by following the links below:

Wikipedia Article on MSbP

Cleveland Clinic Article on MSbP and symptoms of MSbP

Amazon Page for Julie Gregory's Novel