Munchausen by proxy is a real disorder. It is not some fictional disorder created by doctors- unfortunately is it really out there and it can happen to anyone. Just because someone was a “happy, healthy, popular girl” doesn’t matter. Just like people can get cancer, people can get psychologically sick. I don’t know the details in this case but as someone with some psychological training, it is scary and it is real. Many children are killed or permanently disfigured because of it- the child may undergo unnecessary surgeries, procedures and take unnecessary drugs. Sometimes it happens when a child gets sick and the mother’s role is completely comprised of caring for the child. (it can happen to a father too, but since mothers tend to care more for the children, it has been found to be more prevalent in mothers). Once the child gets better, the parent is lost as to who they are, what their role is ect. They become ill and then start to have “factitious disorder by proxy”. It doesn’t always happen that the child was once ill, sometimes it was completely brought on by the parent. the parent is emotionally needy- her entire job was taking care of the kid. She got a lot of help, emotional and physical support, and attention/praise for taking care of this child. Many times the mother has little support outside the medical field as it was her entire life with the ill child and she might have had medical training.
May we see an end to all illness, physical and mental, in the world and may those who are ill get the help they need to recover.