Munchausen by Proxy

In 1977, Roy Meadows, a British pediatrician, used the term Munchausen by proxy (MBP) to describe illness-producing behavior in a child that is exaggerated, fabricated, or induced by a parent. Meadows adapted the term used by Richard Asher in 1951 for adult Munchausen syndrome to describe use of the child as a proxy. Although some have used the term Munchausen syndrome by proxy, the accepted term, according to a consensus of experts convened in 2002, is Munchausen by proxy.

MBP is both a dyadic pediatric and an adult mental health disorder that includes a diagnosis for both the victim and the adult victimizer. This form of victimization involves the intentional production or feigning of physical or psychological signs or symptoms in another person who is under ...