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 Vol. 10 No. 6, December 2003
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Right arrow Child Abuse and Neglect

AAP Grand Rounds 10:74-75 (2003)
© 2003 American Academy of Pediatrics

CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and Pediatric Condition Falsification

Source: Rosenberg DA. Munchausen syndrome by proxy: medical diagnostic criteria. Child Abuse Negl. 2003;27:421–430.[Medline]

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) is of immense concern to physicians since they become unwitting participants in the abuse of a child. The diagnosis of MSBP has been complicated by the lack of consistent diagnostic criteria. The author from the University of Colorado provides a structured approach to the diagnosis of this entity. She begins with the premise that "the diagnostic criteria for a disorder are the smallest set of findings that must be present in order to make a diagnosis." Accordingly, each criterion must be necessary for the diagnosis and, collectively, the criteria must be sufficient to make the diagnosis. She further distinguishes between characteristics that may be observed and those that may only be inferred, such as intent. Using these methodologic rules, she concludes that MSBP is a diagnosis that may be . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Betty Spivack, MD, FAAP
Pathology and Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, and the Medical Examiner Division of the Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Louisville, KY