Product Description
When a person fakes illness or injury to satisfy emotional needs, doctors and family members are lured into a costly, frustrating, and potentially deadly web of deceit.
Taken from bizarre cases of real patients, Playing Sick? is the first book to chronicle the devastating impact of phony illnesses--factitious disorders and Munchausen syndrome--on patients and caregivers alike.

Psychiatrist Marc Feldman describes patients' strange motivations, from malingerers who invent chronic back pain to avoid work to mothers who demand major abdominal surgery for their healthy children because they derive perverse pleasure from medical attention. Self-induced bleeding, fake fevers, and even a bogus asthma attack so convincing that doctors rush the patient to ICU are the stock in trade of patients with these disorders. Practitioners are deeply disturbed by these patients, angry about the time and resources they consume but nervous about confronting them with the truth.

Based on years of research and clinical practice, Playing Sick? provides the clues that can help practitioners and family members recognize these disorders, avoid invasive procedures, and sort out the motives that drive people to hurt themselves and deceive others. With insight and years of hands-on experience, Feldman shows how to get these emotionally ill patients the psychiatric help they need. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Second Go Round of Earlier Book
While the book itself is interesting, it is essentially a re-packaging of the author's earlier book: "Patient or Pretender: Inside the Strange World of Factitious Disorders."Patient or Pretender: Inside the Strange World of Factitious DisordersMuch of the text is the same, and the books differ primarily in that this more recent book includes more anecdotes of patients, some by the author and some purportedly in the individual's own words.

I would have appreciated futher information, not a re-packaging of the same material.Both books are interesting and informative, but I'm at a loss to understand why one would read both since they are essentially the same.I read both only because I was expecting that they would differ, and I kept hoping for/expecting additional information which was generally not the case.

Extremely helpful
I knew little to nothing about Factitious disorder.I have been taken for a ride by friends and was looking for information on how to deal with having my emotions manipulated (I believe the description "emotional rape" describes it best), as well as looking for information on how to help people with these challenges.I hope to stay in contact with my friends, support them, but also to protect myself andothers from their lies. THis book helped me to havea place to begin to do all of this.It also helped me to understand why there is little information/support groups etc on these Psychological challenges.My only complaint is that I would have liked more detailed information on healing from these and more specific detailed informtation on how to heal after being emotionally raped by people with this problem!It covers these in the last chapters- but I am hungry for more info!

Playing Sick
Must read for family members and patients who seem to have "everything" wrong and are never really healthy for an extended period of time. Easy to read and understand for the non-medical person. Seems to make a lot of sense.

munchausen's syndrome
Have you ever faked an illness to get something you wanted?Most of us have.There is, however, a small population who live this way all the time. In 20-30% of doctor's visits, no physical complaint is found; in nearly 16% of ER visits, no clear medical problem is found. Perhaps 10% of these visits could be described as illegitimate. These are the troubled folks who need to be sick or need to engender sickness in another. The patients caught up in "sick role enactments" are literally "dying for attention."They sacrifice careers, relationships, and even their health for this. They do not know how to get their needs met in healthy, socially acceptable ways. They may engage in "pseudologia fantastica", an elaborate embellishment or crafting of one's history. They experience immediate gratification when they play these roles. People are genuinely concerned and drawn in.
Because medical people are trained to have compassion, to trust and to respect their patients, detection of factitious disorder is difficult. Feldman estimates the costs placed on the medical system by factitious disorder are in the same league with serious health problems such as MS and Parkinson's disease. He discusses possible interventions for these patients such as making the signing of releases mandatory for hospitalization, telling the patient that they have a known disorder, or simply "outing" the patient in direct confrontation.Family members and medical people who went to bat for the patient are their victims.They need to be prepared for an intense emotional reaction when such a person is first confronted.

Playing Sick?: Untangling the Web of Munchausen Syndrome, Munchausen by Proxy, Malingering, and Facticious Disorder.
This book is very insightful into the world of facticious disorders.It helped me cope with my mother who has Munchausen's syndrome.It may not completely solve the why, but it gives the possibilities.I enjoyed the different stories about other people and family members who have fallen victim to these types of people.I highly recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Product Description
In March 2001, the National Institutes of Health issued the following warning: "The number of Web sites offering health-related resources grows every day. Many sites provide valuable information, while others may have information that is unreliable or misleading."Furthermore, because of the rapid increase in Internet-based information, many hours can be wasted searching, selecting, and printing.This book was created for medical professionals, students, and members of the general public who want to conduct medical research using the most advanced tools available and spending the least amount of time doing so. ... Read more

Product Description
A young girl is perched on the cold chrome of yet another doctor’s examining table, missing yet another day of school. Just twelve, she’s tall, skinny, and weak. It’s four o’clock, and she hasn’t been allowed to eat anything all day. Her mother, on the other hand, seems curiously excited. She's about to suggest open-heart surgery on her child to "get to the bottom of this." She checks her teeth for lipstick and, as the doctor enters, shoots the girl a warning glance. This child will not ruin her plans.

Sickened

From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rayed, medicated, and operated on—in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother’s mind. Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is the world’s most hidden and dangerous form of child abuse, in which the caretaker—almost always the mother—invents or induces symptoms in her child because she craves the attention of medical professionals. Many MBP children die, but Julie Gregory not only survived, she escaped the powerful orbit of her mother's madness and rebuilt her identity as a vibrant, healthy young woman.

Sickened is a remarkable memoir that speaks in an original and distinctive Midwestern voice, rising to indelible scenes in prose of scathing beauty and fierce humor. Punctuated with Julie's actual medical records, it re-creates the bizarre cocoon of her family's isolated double-wide trailer, their wild shopping sprees and gun-waving confrontations, the astonishing naïveté of medical professionals and social workers. It also exposes the twisted bonds of terror and love that roped Julie's family together—including the love that made a child willing to sacrifice herself to win her mother's happiness.

The realization that the sickness lay in her mother, not in herself, would not come to Julie until adulthood. But when it did, it would strike like lightning. Through her painful metamorphosis, she discovered the courage to save her own life—and, ultimately, the life of the girl her mother had found to replace her. Sickened takes us to new places in the human heart and spirit. It is an unforgettable story, unforgettably told.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (53)

SHOCKING!by Karen O. Duluth MN
A must read for anyone who works with or around children of all ages.We need to be on the look our at all times for this type of abuse. Once l got into this book. l could not stop reading!lt took outstanding courage on the part of Ms Gregory to tell her very personal story.

Not at all what I expected, keep moving.
I'll break this up into pieces.

First-She goes from one thing to another with no separation. The way you know it is different is because it is in a paragraph of it's own, but makes no sense to what she has been writing or what she'll be writing. Very confusing.

Second-Sometimes she writes about things and I'm thinking to myself, Why?

Third-There are pages from her medical records that you "can read", but you can't read it. Ha Ha. The typing is so tiny that you can't make out anything (even if you enlarge your letters). So I'm trying to figure out why it is even in the kindle version.

Fourth-Towards the end it if just a bunch of rambling and how she lived in a house full of mirrors. It was definitely a part where I skimmed, a lot.

Fifth-Maybe I don't understand this illness, but one moment the mother is worried about the girls health and the next moment she tells the girl her broken wrist can wait until her father gets home to go to the hospital or lies to the father so he will "discipline" the kids.

The only reason this book got 2 stars instead of 1 is cause I liked learning/reading about this particular illness.

I would definitely skip over this, such a waste of money!

Disturbing true story reads like a novel
I found this book to be well written. It reads like a novel. I would have liked more about how she overcame her past, that part was a bit surreal. But all in all it was a decent read,if disturbing peek into an insidious illness.

Insightful
It is wonderful when an individual shares such intimate and meaningful details of their life.
Aaron Bryant: BSW, CSACAuthorA Synchronous Memoir of Addiction and Recovery

MBP - A shocking look into a little known disease
A heartbreaking, but provocative memoir, "Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood," by Julie Gregory brings to life a little known disease, Munchausen's-By-Proxy (MBP).With chilling details, Julie outlines the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother and her struggle to become her own person.

A consummate actress, Sandy, Julie's mother, reads through countless medical encyclopedias as she invents symptoms and conditions for her daughter.Instructing her to "act sick" for the doctor, ignoring broken limbs and subjecting her to needless procedures is only a few of the horrors Julie encountered.Denied help time and time again by a multitude of doctors, counselors and case workers, Julie's story shows the reader the helplessness and despair of MBP.

Although well written, the book alternates between vivid details and too little information.What were the little white pills Sandy fed Julie?Why was Julie fed matchsticks and how did they affect her?What happened to Grandma Madge or Julie's two siblings who died shortly after birth?Where is Charlie now, and the foster children who grew up under Sandy's care?Further, the book fails to give the reader a true conclusion, leaving the reader wanting to know more.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about MBP and its particular form of child abuse.
... Read more

Product Description
Children's Hospital Oakland, California. Text for psychiatrists on parents, usually mothers, who fabricate illness in their children or deliberately make the child ill - Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS). Includes case studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Not a Diagnosis
A book which should be listed under science fiction. The creator of the term Munchausen by Proxy was created by Roy Meadow who has now been completely discredited. This "diagnosis" is being thrown out of the courts and it is being thrown in the dustbin, since it never has been accepted by either the American Medical Association or the American Psychiatric Association. There is no scientific basis for this theory and has caused the medical establishment more harm than good. A motive for a crime can not be diagnosed by a pediatrician. A pediatrician must base his opinions on fact. Report child abuse not motives.

Hidden agenda?!?
I agree with the post below - Dr. Schreier's critics must have a hidden agenda. Not only their statement about lack of publications by the co-authors is not true, but they also attempt to discredit Dr. Schreier by saying that he does not belong to AMA. Hardly a sound evidence of a lack of credibility, since less than 30% of all doctors are members of the AMA. Should we then ignore the opinions of over 70% of M.D's?

A Corrective Opinion
Just thought I would point out, as a corrective to the reviewer who believes the authors have published "nothing" in the "medical or psychiatric literature", that these authors have in fact published quite a bit on the subject in the "medical or psychiatric literature".These reviews "warning" us against the authors strike me as having some kind of agenda.Some examples of the authors' publications:Schreier (1992), "The perversion of mothering:Munchausen syndrome by proxy," Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 56; Schreier & Libow (1993), "Munchausen Syndrome by proxy:Diagnosis and prevalence," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 63; Schreier & Libow (1994), "Munchausen by proxy syndrome:A modern pediatric challenge," The Journal of Pediatrics, 125; Libow (1994), "Munchausen by Proxy Victims in later life," Symposium conducted at the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association; "Libow & Schreier (1986), "Three forms of factitious illness in children:When is it Munchausen syndrome by proxy?" American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56.

Trust me!It's true!
It may seem like fiction to those lucky enough not to know a Munchausen.This book described my mother perfectly!I am a child of a Munchausen and I WAS interviewed by the authors when I was living in Utah.They also asked for medical documents and other evidence I provided. Reading the book was a great experience for me because I saw that it was an abuse that had a name.I am 50 years old and just reading the book gave me understanding I really needed.You may not believe it because it didn't happen to you.Trust me.This book is right on!

DO THE RESEARCH, PEOPLE!
After reading what the Reader From Michigan had to say, I decided to do my own research on Dr. Schreier. The Reader From Michigan is correct in stating that this Doctor is not a member of the AMA, and he has NOT published anything in any medical or psychiatric journals that I can find. I work in the medical profession and I can tell you that many dedicated physicians and psychiatrists would like to see Dr. Schreier's medical license revoked. It is well known in the field that he does not interview the mothers he accuses and that he frequently claims that "interviewing these women would be a waste of time because all women are liars". This is a very dangerous man with a very dangerous agenda. Please, I beg you, before you buy into his theories, please check him out. Having a degree does NOT mean he is accurate. ... Read more

Product Description
A thorough critique of the rare diagnosis "Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy" (MSBP) and the way in which it has been employed by medical, mental health and child protective professionals.

The macabre nature of this syndrome, in which parents or other caretakers fabricate, exaggerate or induce symptoms of illness in their children in order to obtain unnecessary medical treatment,has attracted attention in the scientific literature and popular news media. The number of cases of MSBP reported and prosecuted has steadily increased in recent years, and allegations of MSBP have been appearing in contexts other than child protective actions, such as medical malpractice lawsuits, in which MSBP has been offered as a defense, and child custody disputes. While a number of books and scholarly articles have proposed protocols for the careful evaluation of these complex cases, a review of the collected case materials show that serious methodological errors as well as problems in the conceptualization of the disorder and the steps needed to diagnose it are more the rule than the exception in this area. Further, the doctors and mental health experts who pursue these cases are often haphazard and sloppy in their methods, despite the appalling harm inflicted on families when these professionals are mistaken in their conclusions.

Eric G. Mart, a forensic psychologist and internationally-known expert on Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, examines prevalent investigative and diagnostic techniques, as well as the literature and research on the disorder, according to the standards of empirical science. Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy Reconsidered explores the difference between empiricism and the clinical method and discusses concepts such as confirmatory bias and logical errors, which contribute to the misdiagnosis of MSBP and other conditions. These concepts are illustrated with case narratives and material from alleged MSBP cases in which Dr. Mart has been involved. Dr. Mart concludes with a revealing account of the legal process in child protective cases, and the lack of protections afforded to parents accused of MSBP and in danger of having their children seized by the state. Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy Reconsidered provides an unsettling look at the harm and injustice that misguided professionals can inflict by means of a "benevolent" process. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Hurts Those Suffering
There are some who believe that MSP is a false disease, created only to hurt mothers and ruin their credibility in the medical world.

Unfortunately, there are those, like me, who know that MSP is not a fictious disease, but a very real form of abuse. This book just hurts those who have suffered for years as victims.

I am sure MSP is falsely attributed to many medical situations each year. However, there are also many cases in which it should be recognized, but thanks to works such as these, the authorities are scared to use this term.

Science to refute anecdotal stories
This is an excellent book debunking the junk science of MSBP, now called PCF (pediatric condition falsification).It shows how this is just a fad of "mommy bashing", with mostly male doctors feeling threatened by advocate oriented, knowledgable moms.While MSBP may occur in very rare cases, the rash of "diagnoses" (100 to 200 by a pediatrician, Kenneth Feldman, in Seattle alone)is not supported by scientific research.Dr. Mart was even recently quoted by an appellate judge in his opinion on a MSBP case in Washington State.Dr. Mart is well respected and writes in a way which is easy to follow.

Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy Reconsidered
As a Director of a residential home for children and a clinician with over 25 years of experience in the field,I found Dr. Mart's book to be an astounding, educational treat. His work is a highly informative read - one that asks and answers the tough questions about MBPS. This text will be required reading for all treatment staff, as it forces one to view the field from a critical, scientific perspective.
I feel confident that this book will become the new "high water mark" in the field. A must read.

Lou Catano N.C.C.

If You read nothing else on MSBP read this book
Mart has written an important book that all of us in mental the mental health professions should read carefully. Munchausen's by proxy is the latest in a series of syndromes accepted uncritically and based largely on a very small number of tentative observations and a feedback loop which validates the concept by citation. It goes a little like this. Smith writes a paper in which he claims he has observed a case of MSBP and it had the following characteristics. Jones writes a paper and cites Smith. Smith cites Jones and so on. It is like a therapist who once told me that he knew satanic ritual abuse including human sacrifice must be occurring since he had heard it from so many patients in groups. This same sort of logic has been applied to a number of "syndromes" and MSBP is a hot topic. Mart carefully explains how the logic is flawed. He describes the errors in interpretation of the data by others who have published on MSBP and makes it clear how problems like misunderstanding of base rates and types of errors have led to reification of a questionable concept. This is an important problem not only because of the potential damage associated with false positive diagnoses of mothers as having MBPS but because we are so prone to make the same sort of thinking errors in so many areas. Most of us will never see a case of alleged MSBP. All of us can benefit from learning to develop critical thinking. ... Read more

Product Description
The diagnosis of Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome (MBPS) conjures up an eerie spectacle: a disturbed mother, while ostensibly seeking medical assistance, secretly induces physical illnesses in her helpless child in order to receive attention from a caring, even loving, physician. This putative "syndrome," which horrifically combines the elusiveness of the classic Munchausen Syndrome patient seeking care for nonexistent illness with the evils of child abuse, has been the subject of numerous books, television dramas, FBI warnings, and recent court cases. Yet, despite the widespread conviction among legal and psychiatric experts that Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome actually exists, the "syndrome" is specious, the evidence sustaining it insubstantial and logically flawed. This is the startling conclusion of Disordered Mother or Disordered Diagnosis? Beginning with a thorough review of the original literature on Munchausen patients, authors David Allison and Mark Roberts demonstrate in detail how, from the outset, psychiatric descriptions of this alleged condition have been thoroughly circular. Disordered Mother or Disordered Diagnosis? is essential reading for feminist scholars and clinicians, for social historians, sociologists, and jurists, indeed for all who care about the plight of disadvantaged mothers and the rights of medical patients in our society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Poorly substantied tripe
I bought this book hoping that is would be a well researched and supported overview of the development of the diagnosis for Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. I wanted backround and research to support it, but none was forthcoming. The authors write mainly from the philsophical point of view and do not bother to examine whether MBPS is a valid diagnosis based on case study or clinical research. Many MBPS mothers endorse this book because they believe that it vidicates them, however, the mere overdiagnosis of a disorder does not prove it's nonexistance. A reader interested in this subject would do better to read Marc Feldman's book "Patient or Pretender" and/or review the joural articles on Medline. Buy a book about Factitious Disorders that has a more substantial foundation than this book does that is founded on research not supposition. This book is a waste for serious MSBP researchers. Pass.

A much-needed, but over-reaching, critique
I approach Munchausen by Proxy from a somewhat novel perspective: I have been trained as a developmental and philosophical psychologist, and I currently am the CEO of a child welfare agency.This cross-breeding makesme both sympathetic to the authors' aims and argument (the book reminds meof Ian Hacking's book on multiple personality disorder), *and* sympatheticwith those practitioners who have diagnosed MBPS in their work.

One ofthe premises of this book is that MBPS is rampantly over-identified, and isin fact used as a tool for the continued subjugation of women.I amsurprised at this claim, since in my experience social workers, physicians,psychologists, child protection workers, judges, and other professionalsdisplay either complete ignorance of the disorder or, if they know what itis, a high degree of denial and reluctance to acknowledge it.This is farfrom the picture painted by the authors of a Salem-witch-trialfrenzy.

The simple fact is that there are people out there who, forvarious reasons, either invent or exaggerate their children's symptoms ORinduce those symptoms.The question is WHY this happens.Sometimes ithappens because the parent is seeking material gain.And sometimes ithappens because of more complex motives, because in some way the parent isseeking the less tangible rewards of the sick role -- BY PROXY.Thislatter type of motive is what is involved in MBPS.Notice that there is awealth of philosophical and sociological questions one could pose here thatwould also accord with the authors' basic assumptions: What features ofmodern society might be exerting pressure on mothers to fabricate illnessin their children?What does this say about the availability of socialsupports for women in societies like the US?What pathologies ofrelationships might be involved here?

I greatly value the kind ofanalysis presented in this book.There is no question that, especially inthe area of psychological disorder, societal forces play a huge role in theconstruction and identification of pathology.(I highly recommend, in thisconnection, Arthur Kleinman's book _Social Origins of Distress andDisease_.Nevertheless, I think that it is important to remember that whenMBPS is alleged, it is USUALLY alleged by mental health or child welfareprofessionals who are highly well-intentioned and, above all, careful intheir assessments.It is not a matter of judgmental social workers goingof half-cocked blaming mothers for their childrens' illnesses.MBPS is adiagnosis that is made only after a lot of hand-wringing and searching forother possibilities.

In my opinion, there is at least as muchphilosophical interest in the question of what makes so many womenfabricate illness in their children as there is in the question ofsociety's interest in creating such a disorder.But this book is avaluable entry in what I hope will be a continuing conversation amongphilosophers, sociologists, social workers, physicians, and otherthinkers.

I would very much like to sign my name to this review, butbecause of the work that I do and where I do it, I can't.But I'll keepwatching these reviews to see if anyone has a comment on what I've said!

A One-of-a-Kind Effort
It is a real shame that Amazon.com has not really rallied behind this book, or at least has not offered a better discount. Munchausen-By-Proxy-Syndrome is yet another of those awful tools thatprosecuters have to indict and convict people (women, in this case) withoutany real justification or evidence. The 'science' behind this"syndrome" is -- not unlike false memory syndrome, et al. -- athrowback to the days of witch hunts and the like. This text is the onlyone out there to counter the rampant conviction factory of shamelessprosecutors and the FBI. ... Read more

Product Description
It is essential for anyone involved in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases to be aware of the often hidden and subtle warning signs of Munchausen by Proxy. Munchausen syndrome, classified as a mental illness, occurs when a person inflicts or fabricates illness upon themselves, often as an attention-getting device. Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) is an even more insidious disorder in that such illness or injury is inflicted upon a victim-usually a child. Awareness can stop the vicious cycle of abusePractical Aspects of Munchausen by Proxy and Munchausen Syndrome Investigation is the most comprehensive law enforcement handbook written on MBP, which is now considered an index factor in child abuse investigations and as a suspicion factor in the deaths of young children. This book offers detailed insight into the dynamics of MBP abuse and the Munchausen offender. The text chronicles real cases of MBP and Munchausen in the dominion of law enforcement and relates them to general principles of criminal investigations. With this practical guide, readers will be able to readily identify Munchausen-related behavior, apply that recognition in all types of investigations, improve the ability to detect covert or falsified crimes, have the basic knowledge to effectively combat MBP child victimization, or to successfully proscecute MBP cases. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A wonderful law enforcement field guide
Obviously the author of the one star review has had some negative experience with regards to the subject matter of this book. To call the information "outdated" is ludicrous in that so little information has been available for so long. Those that have participated in the web of deceit referred to as Munchausen's Syndrome find it difficult to accept the truth and are often on the offensive with anyone that possesses the knowledge of this disorder and its existance. Their anger and resentment is further exacerbated when this information is conveyed in any logical, fact based manner.

Over-priced and Out Dated!
This witch-hunt is over. The creator of MSBP (Roy Meadow) has been exposed and discredited for his "fanciful tales" and courts all over the UK are overturning convictions. Courts in the US are recognizing that this is not a diagnosis accepted by any medical establishment.

Child abuse can not be diagnosied by warning signs and attention-seeking behavior can only be diagnosed by a qualified professional once a crime has been established by medical fact.

An important work from an acknowledged expert in the field.
Detective Artingstall is well-known for her body of writings and her experience in Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen by proxy cases.In this authoritative work, she provides insights and practical assistance missingfrom most other books on the subject.Legal forms, lists of pertinentquestions to ask as cases are examined, and summaries of chapter highlightsare among the useful elements of the book.The book is also liberallydotted with case studies, including legal outcomes.Although thecopy-editing is not as thorough as I would have liked, the content of thebook is outstanding.Detective Artingstall's book will be an often-citedresource for practitioners of multiple disciplines--social work, lawenforcement, nursing, medicine, child protection, and more.Whilefactitious disorder and Munchausen syndrome have been long-acknowledged inthe professional literature, the type of abuse called Munchausen by proxyhas been recognized and studied only within the last 2 decades.Works suchas this one--based on a mastery of the literature, a wealth of personalexperience, and an abiding desire to uncover the truth (no matter howdisturbing)--will be invaluable in irrefutably establishing Munchausen byproxy as a public health and criminal-justice issue that requires ourcareful attention. ... Read more

Product Description
Royal Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, UK. Aims to help those working with children to recognize, understand, and prevent Munchausen syndrome by proxy abuse. Covers the spectrum of MSBP abuse from mild to life-threatening presentations and relates identification of MSBP abuse to routine pediatric practice. Covers all stages from identification to treatment of perpetrators. Soft. ... Read more

Product Description
The authors make the case that the term Munchausen syndrome by proxy should be retired permanently and replaced with a commonsense appreciation that children can be abused by their parents in the medical environment. Physicians who find themselves providing unnecessary and harmful medical care can see the abuse for what it is, another way parents can harm children.

The book offers the first detailed and comprehensive description of treatment for this form of child maltreatment.


At last. A clear, logical, and immensely practical book, showing that this is not a syndrome at all, but rather another important form of child abuse...and one which is completely preventable.

Kim Oates, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, The University of Sydney, Australia


A fantastic book that will revolutionize, in a much needed way, the way we think about this disorder.


Alex V. Levin, MD, MHSc, FAAP, FAAO, FRCSC, Professor, Departments of Paediatrics, Genetics, and Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences Director, Postgraduate Bioethics Education University of Toronto


Drs Roesler and Jenny have finally mapped the terrain of child abuse showing where medical child abuse stands in the overall landscape.

Thomas L. Dwyer, Director of Foster Care, Department of Children and Families, State of Connecticut ... Read more

Product Description
Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS), a form of child abuse in which a primary carer - usually a mother - fabricates and//or induces illness in a child, is one of the least understood forms of child abuse and mental illness. Examining the current knowledge about the manifestations and consequences of this perplexing behaviour, this book assists all professionals working with chronically ill children in identifying and intervening with this bizarre and often deadly form of abuse.

Drawing from their firsthand experience with the complexities of such cases, the editors and contributors address critical issues of not only identification and assessment but also long-term psychotherapy. Therapy with the mother//perpetrator has traditionally been markedly unsuccessful, but this book provides a much-needed framework for the successful treatment of acknowledged perpetrators. Emphasizing the important role of efficient multidisciplinary cooperation in handling MBPS cases, Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome also features perspectives from experts in the fields of medicine, child protection, education, social work, hospital administration and law.

Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome demystifies the mother//perpetrator's deception and gives professionals the knowledge to save children from induced life-threatening illnesses and consequent medical procedures. Professionals, academics, researchers, and students in a variety of fields, including clinical and counselling psychology, social work, nursing//health sciences, criminal justice, and law, will need the information presented in this book to help stop this form of abuse.

Customer Reviews (3)

Sad but TRUE
hey umm i come fromfamily with this... It is true and very much still around and DEFINATLLY NOT outdated.

Outdated
Based on fiction rather than fact. All over the UK convictions are being overturned, in light that Roy Meadows (the creator of MSBP) has been exposed for giving "fanciful tales" in court.

This is not an accepted diagnosis by any medical body...not the AMA or the American Psychiatric Assoc.

Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome: Misunderstood Child Abuse
Factual w/ interesting approach. ... Read more

Product Description
This book reviews the current state of knowledge of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, a type of child abuse which causes wide concern. Two main areas are covered, which will be of particular interest: new directions in research, and treatment of the perpetrator in and outside the family. The book also considers the ethical and legal issues raised by this problematic behaviour, which involves many different types of professionals and has a heavy cost not only for services but also for victims and perpetrators. This volume provides a multidisciplinary perspective, with input from social workers, paediatricians, child-psychiatrists and lawyers, among others. It also offers an international perspective, with contributors from the USA, Canada and Australia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not based on profiling
As the co-editor of this book, I can attest to the fact that it is NOT based on profiling, but on solid clinical experience.Of course evidence, not profiles should be used to determine guilt or innocence.Dr. Roy Meadow, like many of those who tell the truth about this form of child abuse, has been accused of many things, but not "discredited."The issues of whether MBP is an "official" diagnosis, how it is defined, whether it exists "scientifically," and who has "accepted" it, are frequently used to distract from the central question:has a caregiver abused a child by creating a problem or the appearance of a problem.Courts throughout the US and abroad have found this abuse to exist in hundreds of cases.

A book about profiling
This book is based on profile evidence and is outdated. Even so-called "experts" on MSBP admit that the profile should not be used to determine the guilt or innocense of a care-giver. Now MSBP has come to mean causing medical harm in order to garner attention.

Further the creator (Roy Meadows) of MSBP has been discredited and court rooms are now recognizing it as not a diagnosis. Attention-seeking is simply a motive. Doctors must show a crime has been commited based on fact. The American Medical Assoc and the American Psychiatric Association does not recognize this "disorder" as a diagnosis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Plain talk on how the mind affects the body
Dr. Goodman, an eminent psychiatrist, has written a very comprehensive andreadable book about the many ways--some of them startling--that the mindcan affect the body. Dr. Goodman peoples the book with a host of memorablecharacters, and tells their stories in a non-judgmental manner. Hisdiscussion of the bizarre Munchausen's Syndrome is especially well-worthreading, for good education about this incurable and painful process ofself-induced sickness.A word of warning: as a person coping with thedevastation of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I took issue with the gooddoctor's assessment that this is a purely psychogenic problem, and relatedto women's problems in coping with the demands of playing many roles.Thisis a minor flaw in a very readable and educational book. ... Read more

Product Description
A young girl is perched on the cold chrome of yet another doctor’s examining table, missing yet another day of school. Just twelve, she’s tall, skinny, and weak. It’s four o’clock, and she hasn’t been allowed to eat anything all day. Her mother, on the other hand, seems curiously excited. She's about to suggest open-heart surgery on her child to "get to the bottom of this." She checks her teeth for lipstick and, as the doctor enters, shoots the girl a warning glance. This child will not ruin her plans.

Sickened

From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rayed, medicated, and operated on—in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother’s mind. Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is the world’s most hidden and dangerous form of child abuse, in which the caretaker—almost always the mother—invents or induces symptoms in her child because she craves the attention of medical professionals. Many MBP children die, but Julie Gregory not only survived, she escaped the powerful orbit of her mother's madness and rebuilt her identity as a vibrant, healthy young woman.

Sickened is a remarkable memoir that speaks in an original and distinctive Midwestern voice, rising to indelible scenes in prose of scathing beauty and fierce humor. Punctuated with Julie's actual medical records, it re-creates the bizarre cocoon of her family's isolated double-wide trailer, their wild shopping sprees and gun-waving confrontations, the astonishing naïveté of medical professionals and social workers. It also exposes the twisted bonds of terror and love that roped Julie's family together—including the love that made a child willing to sacrifice herself to win her mother's happiness.

The realization that the sickness lay in her mother, not in herself, would not come to Julie until adulthood. But when it did, it would strike like lightning. Through her painful metamorphosis, she discovered the courage to save her own life—and, ultimately, the life of the girl her mother had found to replace her. Sickened takes us to new places in the human heart and spirit. It is an unforgettable story, unforgettably told. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

Riveting Reading; Well Written; Truth Stranger Than Fiction
Sickened grabbed me at page one and never let me go. Julie Gregory describes one inciting incident after another. She tells her story of a childhood fraught with having to tolerate, no survive, the intolerable. This poor pumpkin was forced to accept twisted perspectives, unravel reality from insanity and grow herself by herself. Grim subject matter, but highly intelligent use of exquisite language helps the reader "get" what is going on in the mind and body of an innocent little girl who was subjected to the unspeakable. Read the first few pages. See if you're not hooked too.

Why Did The Doctors Allow This Disgrace To Go On?
This is sick child abuse and very sad. You can look at the mother and say you are a child abuser and must be punished. However, I prefer to look at the medical system and the individual doctors who abused the child in this way. It may be that the medical system is more culpable than the mother as they ignored the girl's cry for help. The book is an eye opener to many problems in the medical system. It is a quick read in about 24 hours or less and the reader will gain valuable knowledge of the medical system and of MBP.

Good Memoir
I love memoirs, and so many are about child abuse, sexual abuse, or the like, and this one has all that and more. With parents who were both severely mentally ill, being forced to manipulate doctors with her mother in order to get attention and treatment. This book has another aspect in every memoir like this, that people never really change. In fact, they stay the same, which is both comical but sad. This is better than the Glass Castle memoir.

Disturbing story
Like several other reviewers, I could not put this book down. I was horrified, but kept reading because I wanted to see her prevail. The ending wasn't quite as satisfying as I had hoped; it left me with many unanswered questions.

The tale of twisted abuse is quite disturbing. In addition to the medical abuse, Julie, her brother, and the foster children were physically, verbally, and psychologically abused. Julie's mother also neglected to care for veterans she housed (to get the money).

Julie's mother and father were also abused in childhood. Hopefully Julie will end this cycle.

ok
i have heard many sad stories of munchausen syndrome by proxy. when i picked up this book i read and read thinking the situations would be getting worse soon... but then it was done. not that i want someone to endure the abuse of this disorder, i was just hoping it would be more graphic, more touching. to make me want to reach out and hold the poor child. it was an ok read, i was just expecting more.i gave it to my aunt to read who has similar interests as myself, and she thought it was just 'ok' too. ... Read more

Product Description
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is the syndrome that causes parents and care workers to harm their children to get attention. Many families are separated after its diagnosis. But has the fertile imagination of social workers and the public turned MSBP into the "trendy" disorder of our time? McGill traces the 25-year history of the disorder and examines high profile cases from six countries. He produces compelling stories from parents and care workers and asks what can be done to protect parents from being wrongly accused. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Southern Medical Journal, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2006. The length of the article is 946 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Recovery from Munchausen syndrome.(Letter to the editor)
Author: Marc D. Feldman
Publication: Southern Medical Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 99Issue: 12Page: 1398(2)

Article Type: Letter to the editor

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed., brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 760 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The third edition of this authoritative, comprehensive, in-depth medical guide features information on medical topics in language accessible to adult laypersons. Disease/disorder articles typically cover definition; description; causes and symptoms; diagnosis; treatments; prevention; and more. Test/treatment articles typically cover definition; purposes; precautions; preparation; risks; normal and abnormal results; and much more. ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Münchausen Syndrome, Feigned Madness, Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy, Münchausen by Internet, Factitious Disorder, David Southall, Beverley Allitt, Ganser Syndrome, Wendi Scott, Julie Gregory, Wendy Scott. Excerpt:Beverley Gail Allitt Beverley Gail Allitt (born 4 October 1968), dubbed the Angel of Death , is an English serial killer who murdered four children and injured five others while working as a State Enrolled Nurse (SEN), on the children's ward of Grantham and Kesteven Hospital , Lincolnshire . Her main method of murder was to inject the child with potassium chloride (to cause cardiac arrest ), or with insulin (to induce lethal hypoglycemia ). She was sentenced to life imprisonment at her trial at Nottingham Crown Court in 1993 and is currently being held at Rampton Secure Hospital . The victims Trial and imprisonment Allitt had attacked 13 children in the space of 15 days before she was finally arrested. It was only following the death of Claire Peck that medical staff became suspicious of the number of cardiac arrests on the children's ward and police were called in. It was found that Allitt was the only nurse on duty for all the attacks on the children and she also had access to the drugs. Four of Allitt's victims had died. She was charged with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm in November 1991. On Friday 28 May 1993 she was found guilty on each charge and sentenced to 13 concurren... ... Read more

Product Description
The article is excerpted fromGale Encyclopedia of Medicine.

Consultthe second edition of this authoritative, comprehensive, in-depthmedical guide for information on more than 1,700 medical topics inlanguage accessible to adult laypersons. Presented in a singlealphabetical sequence, articles range in length from one or twoparagraphs for minor topics, to several pages or more for major topics.Disease/disorder articles typically cover definition; description;causes and symptoms; diagnosis; treatments; prevention; and more.Test/treatment articles typically cover definition; purposes;precautions; preparation; risks; normal and abnormal results; and muchmore. This second edition includes more than 200 new entries, 300updated entries, approximately 650 color images and illustrations, anda comprehensive subject index. New features include biographical andhistorical sidebars throughout the text.

Disease/disorder articles contain some or all of the following sections:

• Definitions -- brief dictionary-style definition of the disorder
• Descriptions -- overview of the disorder; who gets it and why
• Causes & symptoms -- process, substance or organism thatproduces the condition; any risk factors that increase susceptibilityto the condition; signs and symptoms of the disease
• Diagnosis -- overview of procedures and tests used todiagnose the condition; how the test is done; who should be tested andwhen; time required; cost; whether it's typically covered by insurance
• Treatments -- overview of conventional methods of care ormanagement of the condition, such as drugs, surgeries, physicaltherapy, etc.
• Alternative treatments -- overview of alternative/complementary therapies that may be used to treat the condition
• Prognosis -- probable outcome of the disease
• Preventions -- what actions can be taken to prevent the condition from occurring

Test/treatment articles contain some or all of the following sections:

• Definitions -- brief dictionary-style definition of the test/treatment
• Purposes -- why and when this test/treatment is prescribed
• Precautions -- when this test/treatment should not be prescribed
• Descriptions -- overview of the test/treatment including cost,length of time required, procedures followed, whether typically coveredby insurance
• Preparation -- pre-test treatment procedures, if any
• Aftercare -- post-test treatment procedures, if any
• Risks -- any complications/side effects commonly associated with the test/treatment
• Normal results -- for tests, describes the normal values; for treatments, describes the anticipated outcomes
• Abnormal results -- defines abnormal test values

Published/Released: December 2001