Child mal.

term coined in 1977 by Sir Row meadow (18th century German baron and russian soldier

"false" disorder (way that it is said in the DSM

• 1. Exaggeration
• 2. Fabrication
• 3. Inducement

• parent isnt actually doing anything but maybe exaggerating what the kid has.
• Example: calling the dr and saying child needs to be seen now..., throwing up non stop for weeks, but erally only thrown up once.
• -Embellishes a genuine problem

• Nothing is wrong wit hthe kid, but parent just makes up a problem.
• Example: bring in urine and add blood to it

• Parent actually creates problem (causes it)
• Example: mix poison in kids food so that they do get sick

• Typically infants and toddlers-older siblings may help with the deception and/or falsify their own illnesses
• Often affects mult. siblings
• --Kids get older so parent stops and moves to younger siblings. Sometimes kid "continues" to be sick" to still get that attention
• lasts usually 1-2 years

mothers

• Attention seeking behavior (primary)
• Devotion to/martyr for their child
• **Poor sally she is so good with child
• Relief from other responsibilities
• **more secondary motivation
• **People will do things for you, cook clean
• **Bolster a failing relationship
• **help with parenting

• unnecessary pain, medications, surgeries, and hospitalization
• Reduced opportunities--not socializing in a normal way
• Feeding disorders--can even persist after problem is gone, opperant conditioning
• Long term physical/developmental damage

6-10% of cases

• Dont really know the long term effects/or the extent
• Longterm physical problems; depression, eating disorders, and PTSD

• child abuse or psychiciatric disorder?
• Who gets the label, the perp or victim?
• Suspicion exists on continuum of parents concern for childs health

• Failure to consider diagnosis
• Review medical record
• **easier to do now because everything is electronic
• Covert video surveillance
• Separation from suspected parent
• psych evaluation
• Testing
• Hospitalization

• Meadows Law
• Lack of empirical research
• Diagnostic issues
• Subjective nature of criteria
• False positives

• instrumental in bringing these cases to trial
• "1 death is a tragedy, 2 is suspicious, and 3 is murder until proven otherwise"
• became the basis for Meadows law
• 73 million to 1-chances 2 infants die in a family (more likely its genetic, familial

there arent many cases

• Dr.s arent looking for this right away
• **they dont want to ignore a childs health-once they see MPS, that is all that they see

what is the motivation

• Cases where child dies, parent is accused, convicted and then later found out that child dies from other causes
• MAMA-mothers against munch. allegaations ass.

refers to any child who is described as ill when they are not, regardless of parental motivation