Münchausen syndrome by proxy

In Münchausen syndrome, the affected person exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves to gain investigation, treatment, attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. In some extreme cases, people suffering from Münchausen's syndrome are highly knowledgeable about the practice of medicine and are able to produce symptoms that result in lengthy and costly medical analysis, prolonged hospital stay and unnecessary operations. The role of "patient" is a familiar and comforting one, and it fills a psychological need in people with Münchausen's. It is distinct from hypochondriasis in that patients with Münchausen syndrome are aware that they are exaggerating, whereas sufferers of hypochondriasis believe they actually have a disease. Risk factors for developing Münchausen syndrome include childhood traumas and growing up with parents/caretakers who were emotionally unavailable due to illness or emotional problems. Arrhythmogenic Münchausen syndrome describes individuals who simulate or stimulate cardiac arrhythmias to gain medical attention.^[2]

A similar behavior called Münchausen syndrome by proxy [as opposed to Munchausan syndrome] has been documented in the parent or guardian of a child. The adult ensures that his or her child will experience some medical affliction, therefore compelling the child to suffer treatment for a significant portion of their youth in hospitals. Furthermore, a disease may actually be initiated in the child by the parent or guardian. This condition is considered distinct from Münchausen syndrome. In fact, there is growing consensus in the pediatric community that this disorder should be renamed "medical abuse" to highlight the real harm caused by the deception and to make it less likely that a perpetrator can use a psychiatric defense when real harm is done.[3] Parents who perpetrate this abuse are often affected by concomitant psychiatric problems like depression, spouse abuse, psychopathy, or psychosis. In rare cases, multiple children in one family may be affected either directly as victims or as witnesses who are threatened to keep them silent.

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Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

First published in 1952, DSM-I was 130 pages long and listed 106 mental disorders. DSM-IV, the latest version published in 1994, lists 297 disorders in 886 pages. DSM is considered the "bible" of psychiatric disorders, as it contains a categorization of symptoms that are used as "billing codes". These are essentially included in the DSM using a system of voting by the members of the American Psychiatric Association. Is your child having difficulty learning arithmetic in school? This is probably caused by 315.1 Mathematics Disorder. Having trouble dealing with your teenager? Undoubtedtly you suffer from V61.20 Parent-Child Relational Problem. Have you found that you sometimes forget things, now that you're a little older? 780.93 Age-Related Cognitive Decline, undoubtedly. And if you decide that your psychiatrist isn't helping you and decide to quit going, you're suffering from V15.81 Noncompliance With Treatment. It is quite a simple matter to subjectively find a code associated with any problem that used to be attributed to the process of living one's life; any person can be diagnosed with at least one disorder, syndrome, or problem. Having a handy code associated with any of such symptoms makes it possible not only to bilk insurance companies out of millions of dollars annually, it opens the door to prescribing drugs to "manage" the symptoms.

Read more: CCHR Silicon Valley - Understand The Problem http://cchrsiliconvalley.org/understand.phtml#ixzz1uOBXz9WZ

[301.81 brings a few people to mind.] 
 The symptoms of Narcissistic personality disorder can be similar to the traits of individuals with strong self-esteem and confidence; differentiation occurs when the underlying psychological structures of these traits are considered pathological. Narcissists have such an elevated sense of self-worth that they value themselves as inherently better than others. Yet, they have a fragile self-esteem and cannot handle criticism, and will often try to compensate for this inner fragility by belittling or disparaging others in an attempt to validate their own self-worth. It is this sadistic tendency that is characteristic of narcissism as opposed to other psychological conditions affecting level of self-worth.

Hence... a God Like Attitude! Characteristic of CPS (OCS).

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DSM-IV Codes  

  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   

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ABC News reports, "Of all the psychiatric medications, antipsychotics are, by far, the most prescribed, especially for foster children. Foster children are given anti-psychotics at a rate nine times higher than children not in foster care, according to a 2010 16-state analysis by Rutgers University of nearly 300,000 foster children."
These antipsychotic drugs -- including Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa -- can lead to obesity, elevated blood sugar and diabetes, pancreatitis, cardiovascular abnormalities and a disfiguring and sometimes disabling movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia. It's been suggested they could shorten lifespan by up to 25 years in patients exposed to them for decades. Evidence is accumulating that they can also lead to shrinkage of the brain in those patients exposed to them for years.

Read More:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-peter-breggin/foster-children_b_1149805.html

*The posts made in this blog are of our opinion only* Without Prejudice UCC 1-207