The 1994 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) is now recognizing Munchausen syndrome by proxy as "factitious disorder by proxy" (Pasqualone, 1999). In studies that are written on this subject, both names are used. .
The name of the pediatrician in England was Roy S. Meadow of Saint James's University Hospital in Leeds, England (Sapolsky, 1999). The case that brought the naming of this .
Munchausen 4.
phenomenon was that of a six-year-old girl that was admitted to the hospital with severe bacteria in her urine. The doctors treated her with powerful medications but it seemed to have little effect on the bacteria. The doctors and nurses soon began to realize some discrepancies. Through tests, the urine was infected with one type of bacteria in the morning and another in the evening with no signs of bacteria in the afternoon. The nurses noticed a pattern, that bacteria was only in the urine when the mother helped collect the urine (Sapolsky, 1999). This is the first documented case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. .
Statistics on Munchausen syndrome by proxy is not available simply because the criteria for a diagnosis has not been established (Sapolsky, 1999). Kathryn A. Artingstall of the Orlando Police Department in Florida, who works closely with the FBI in these cases, has unofficially logged more than 200 cases nationwide (Sapolsky, 1999). She and the experts feel that the actual numbers are as high as 1,000 cases annually in the United States (Sapolsky, 1999). .
Characteristics of the Perpetrator.
The perpetrator is primarily white mothers in their twenty's and thirties. Though fathers may not be a common perpetrator, health care providers still need to assess each parent (Pasqualone, 1999). Sixty percent of the mothers have had some training in healthcare and are familiar with terms and procedures (Hughes, 1999). They may also have mental disorders such as "hysteria, sociopath, narcissistic or borderline personality disorders" (Fulton, 2000).
