What is Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, what is HBO’s Sharp Objects about and what are some famous cases?
Been watching Sharp Objects on HBO and wondering what Munchausen Syndrome by proxy is? We've got all the answers...
The HBO series Sharp Objects has brought up questions over Munchausen Syndrome by proxy.
And there is a significant difference between this and Munchausen Syndrome.
What is Munchausen Syndrome by proxy?
Also known as fabricated or induced illness, Munchausen Syndrome by proxy is a form of child abuse.
It is when a parent or carer exaggerates or causes symptoms of illness to their child deliberately - it is all about control.
They will try to persuade a doctor their child is sick even if totally healthy, .
This could be anything from purposefully poisoning their child to keep them sick or putting glucose into urine samples to make it seem like they have diabetes.
It is normally caused by the child's biological mother who wants to keep the child close or dependent.
It is not to be confused with Munchausen Syndrome, which is when a person makes themselves ill for attention.
What are the signs?
The say the signs to look out for are:
- If after a hospital has carried out extensive tests the cause of illness cannot be explained
- Symptoms only appear when the parent or carer is present
- The only person 'noticing' symptoms is the parent or carer
- The child has an inexplicably poor response to medication or treatment
- Once the problem is solved the parent will quickly report new symptoms of something else
- The child's alleged symptoms don't add up
- The parent or carer has a history of frequently changing GPs or visiting different hospitals for treatment
- The child's activities are limited far beyond what you would expect as a result of having a certain condition – for example, they never go to school or have to wear leg braces even though they can walk properly
- The parent or carer has good medical knowledge
- the parent or carer doesn't seem too worried about the child's health, despite being very attentive
- The parent or carer becomes abusive or argumentative if their ideas are challenged
- One parent (commonly the father) has little or no involvement in the care of the child
- The parent or carer encourages medical staff to perform often painful procedures on the child (tests that most parents would only agree to if they were persuaded that it was absolutely necessary)
What is HBO's Sharp Objects about?
Sharp Objects on HBO is based on the novel with the same title by Gillian Flynn.
The lead character is journalist Camille Preaker, played by Amy Adams, who has returned home to investigate the death of two girls.
The story running concurrently is about Camille's strained relationship with her mother, Adora, and the return home drudging up memories of the death many years ago of her younger sister Marian.
It also covers Adora's relationship with her youngest third child, Amma.
SPOILER: Although not confirmed in the series verbally yet, it seems obvious Camille's mother Adora is suffering with Munchausen Syndrome by proxy and is inflicting illness on Amma.
It seems she likely tried to make Camille sick too when she was a young girl, and potentially caused the death of Marian.
What are some famous cases?
Serial killer nurse Beverley Allitt
This was a less typical case as she wasn't the parent of those she caused suffering to.
Beverley killed four children, attempted to murder three and caused grievous bodily harm with intent to six others at Grantham and Kesteven hospital in Lincolnshire between 1991 and 1993.
She injected the children with large doses of insulin or air.
Beverley suffered with Munchausen Syndrome (convincing doctors she was ill for attention as a child) and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (inflicting pain on others).
The case of Kathy and Jennifer Bush
Another famous case in Florida, US, involved a woman called Jennifer Bush, whose mother, Kathy Bush, reportedly fed her medicine as a child that kept her sick.
As cited on Bustle : "According to the Sun-Sentinel, by the time Jennifer was eight, she had , undergone 40 medical procedures, had 1,819 nonsurgical treatments, according to investigators."
The interesting thing with this case is Jennifer as an adult maintains her mother did not abuse her.
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Marybeth Tinning
Another case from the US; Marybeth Tinning was accused of killing eight of her nine children.
The deaths started in 1971 when her youngest died of spinal meningitis.
There were suggestions that it was this death that sparked her Munchausen by proxy syndrome and one by one the rest of children died.
Eventually Social Services found her guilty of smothering the children, despite her claims, though surprisingly she was only convicted in court of one murder due to lack of evidence.
Sally Clark's wrongful conviction
The sad but famous case of wrong diagnosis occurred in the UK and involved Sally Clark from Cheshire.
She claimed two of her babies died from cot death within two years of each other.
Sally was said to be suffering with Munchausen Syndrome by proxy as doctors said two cot death cases in the same family so close together was highly suspicious and she was jailed.
The case was overturned three and a half years into her life sentence and Sally was freed.
The defence showed that her son Harry's body had been riddled with the bacterium staphylococcus aureus, which would have caused a form of meningitis,
It was information that hadn't been shared at the earlier trial.
Four years later Sally died from acute alcohol poisoning, that coroners said was brought on by grief and