Citation

Murray JB. J. Psychol. 1997; 131(3): 343-352.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, St. John's University, Jamaica, NY 11439, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9153796

Abstract

Munchausen syndrome (MS) is characterized by patients' chronic and relentless pursuit of medical treatment for combinations of symptoms of consciously self-inflicted injury and falsely reported symptomatology. MS patients are adults, as are perpetrators of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP). MSBP is an unusual form of child abuse in which a parent, usually the mother, brings a child for medical attention with symptoms falsified or directly induced by the mother. Most reports of MSBP have been of a few cases appearing in medical and pediatric literature. Motivation in both disorders is unclear, and diagnosis and treatment present difficult problems that require more research.

Language: en