The Münchhausen syndrome and children

The child does not complain, but his mother or father takes him constantly to the hospital. Think you are sick. But the doctor is not able to find his ailment. Maybe your mother or father is faking the symptoms of a disease to get attention or even to hide an abuse. But it may also be that you think

The child does not complain, but his mother or father takes him constantly to the hospital. Think you are sick. But the doctor is not able to find his ailment. Maybe your mother or father is faking the symptoms of a disease to get attention or even to hide an abuse. But it may also be that you think that your child is really sick.

His illness is called Münchhausen syndrome by proxy, and it has to do with the mind. It is named for the stories of the 'Baron of Munchausen', an absurd novel about the fantasy adventures of a military character.

What is Münchhausen Syndrome in children

Münchhausen Syndrome is a mental illness that only occurs in adults, but by default it can affect children. In this case (when children become victims of the disease), it is called Münchhausen syndrome by proxy.

An adult suffering from Münchhausen syndrome thinks he is ill. And he believes so much in his illness that he comes to provoke it. Either because some type of damage is infringed or because it causes the symptoms of the disease. It is an evil of the mind and occurs in people who try desperately to attract attention.

When the adult person who suffers the disease does not see the disease itself but in his child, then we talk about Münchhausen syndrome by proxy. In this case it is the sick mother or father who thinks that her son has a disease and goes with him insistently to the doctor. In some cases it has been discovered that this type of attitude by the parents tries to hide some type of abuse towards the child.

The Münchhausen Syndrome by proxy is a very dangerous disease for the child, since the sick adult person tries to cause the symptoms of the disease in his son, and can even get to medicate him unnecessarily and thus cause a greater evil.

People with Münchhausen syndrome need psychological treatment, although it is a disease that has not yet been studied enough.