Munchausen by proxy is a rare mental disorder and can become a serious form of child abuse. Recently, the condition has gotten increased attention due to its connection to a major news story.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the child abuse victim who was convicted in 2016 of killing her mother the previous year, was released from prison on Dec. 28, 2023.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was granted parole and released from prison three years early after she was originally sentenced to 10 years for her role in the second-degree murder of Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard in Springfield, Missouri.
In court, prosecutors claimed that Dee Dee Blanchard had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, NBC News previously reported.
Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard’s case has been covered extensively in podcasts, documentaries and television shows. Now, Gypsy Rose Blanchard is telling her own story first-hand in the Lifetime series “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard,” released Jan. 5.
Here’s what to know about Munchausen syndrome by proxy, according to experts.
What is Munchausen by proxy?
Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a psychological disorder where a “caregiver feigns, exaggerates or induces illness in (another person) with the primary goal being to get attention, sympathy and praise,” Dr. Marc Feldman, board-certified psychiatrist and author of “Dying to be Ill: True Stories of Medical Deception,” tells TODAY.com.
It’s related to Munchausen syndrome, a condition where a person pretends to be sick or deliberately produces symptoms for attention, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Munchausen by proxy affects the caretaker of a dependent — such as a child, an elderly adult or a person with disabilities — and it’s most commonly seen in mothers of young children, says Feldman, who has studied the condition for over 30 years.
The child victims often have multiple unexplained ailments that do not get better over time, despite being given the appropriate treatments and care, says Feldman, who did not…
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