Child Abuse comes in many different forms, ranging from the psychological to sexual to physical. One of the forms, however that is rarely talked about is abuse masquerading as a loving parent helping a sickly child. This type of abuse is known as Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP). MSBP is a type of factious disorder, a factious disorder is a type of “mental disorder in which a person acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when, in fact, he or she has consciously created their symptoms”(An Overview of Factitious Disorders). The hallmarks of this type of mental illness are as follows but not limited to; dramatic and varied medical history, inconsistent symptoms, extensive knowledge of hospitals and medical care, and seeking many different doctors in varied locations. These symptoms are generally applied to a patient meaning; of their own volition they fabricate illnesses. However these symptoms have been expanded recently (circa 2004) to include a caregiver, MSBP. This disease is extremely hard to diagnose because the lines between zealous caregiver and abusive parent are often blurred or even nonexistent. Because of this issue the way MSBP is dealt with once discovered is extremely complicated. Although Munchhausen’s by Proxy is a form of child abuse, modern psychological research indicates that it should be treated as a clinical factitious disorder through medications and talk therapy because it is has been found that mere prison time does not prevent future episodes of the disease.
Munchhausen’s by proxy was first recognized as a mental illness in late seventies by Doctor and Pediatrician Roy Meadow. (Fish, Bromfield, and Higgins). It is general seen in mothers who are victims of abuse themselves. The type of ...
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When children are hurt physically, emotionally, or sexually it is known to be child abuse. Children are known to be neglected when they are not getting the proper attention needed for children. When children are neglected or abused in any way it is the responsibility of others to report such acts to the authorities as to what they have witnessed first-hand or signs of abuse or neglect seen after the fact, these people who reports such acts are known as third parties. The proper authorities to report child abuse or neglect is called Child Protected Services also known as Child Welfare. After the abuse or neglect is reported the proper authorities will then investigate to see if the abuse or neglect is legit or fraudulent (Sedlak, 2001).
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Child abuse is usually recognized by a pattern of physical injuries or outward appearance of neglect. From RelayHealth, Munchausen Syndrome by proxy is a mental disorder, causing illness in others, usually children, to get sympathy and attention for the abuser. With the mental disorder of MSBP documented, the behaviors of the abuser and victims should be easy to identify, but it is not. Any parent/guardian entering the emergency room insisting on immediate care for their child would be considered a suspect. According to RelayHealth, dishonesty is a key part of the disorder, and of the abusers: 90% are the mothers. Imagine a mother who is able to manipulate an experienced doctor against his better judgment to perform unnecessary treatments and tests; now th...
Charles has agreed to medication protocol of Haldol injections and Resperadol. He adamantly refuses psychotherapy. While hospitalized Charles makes reference to being sexually abused he refuses to go into depth or give specifics. Prior to the diagnosis Charles’s mother reports became withdrawn at the age of seven Charles’s father died in a car accident.
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Most of us in our lifetimes have committed the act of “malingering”. As children, we just did not want to go to school for fear in being picked on or perhaps we did not want to take that grueling math test. We made up any excuse to not go to school by feigning a sickness. As an adult, you wanted to take off to guarantee a three- day weekend, concocting and citing to your boss that you felt feverish. Unfortunately, in our society, there have even been some selfish people that will fake an illness, such as Breast Cancer, gain money from funding that sympathetic people have ponied up to benefit their personal obligations.
Conclusion Child abuse and neglect is a very serious issue that can not be taken lightly. We need to provide continuing public education and professional training. Few people fail to report because they want their children to suffer abuse and neglect. Likewise, few people make deliberately false reports. Most involve an honest desire to protect children, coupled with confusion about what conditions are reportable.
Psychological maltreatment, like many other forms of abuse can also be passed down through intergenerational transmission. It is not unlikely for parents to psychologically mistreat their children due to their own past or childhood experiences with psychologically abuse. For example, it is not uncommon during the course of an investigation of physiological maltreatment that it is discovered that the perpetrator had their own form of abuse history in the past. Often time’s people look at psychological maltreatment as a consequence resulting from some other form of abuse, mainly physical and sexual, but tend to overlook the fact that it may also occur as an individual form. Psychological maltreatment can take more than one form. During the course of researching for this paper I learned that there are three typical forms of behavior in which people follow when displaying this type of abuse against children. The three types are acting in an aggressive, rejecting, and lessening
Smith, M., & Segal, J. (n.d.). Child Abuse & Neglect. : Recognizing, Preventing and Reporting Child Abuse. Retrieved January 14 2014, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm
Child abuse is a problem that affects the well-being of children, and it is something that can be avoided with the proper detection and implementation of interventions (Sanders Jordan & Hatfield Steelman, 2015). Harris discussed bruises and disclosed that detected abuse is relevant to a nurse working with families because they can assess for signs such as suspicious bruising, areas in which this occur include the back, genitals, abdomen, cheeks, and neck (2015). The abuse they experience can result in them obtaining the most mental health problem, compared to other children who do not encounter abuse (Ben-David, 2016). Caneira, & Myrick discussed in their journal that child abuse is important to detect as soon as possible because it can go on to affect them later in life, this is the case with pregnant women who experience post traumatic stress disorder from childhood abuse and end up resulting in adverse perinatal outcomes due to bad self care behaviours (2015). Using screening techniques will reduce the amount of children who experience abuse and go unrecognized. Using these techniques, addition resources, and establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patients, will help in minimizing the amount of child abuse (Caneira, & Myrick, 2015). Child abuse is relevant to health care professionals working with families and should be routinely assessed to minimize the