Why are mums whose children have autism still being accused of Munchausin by proxy?

Written on 5th Jul 2014 by Sylvia Lowery

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 The Syndrome of Munchausen by Proxy is a condition where the mother fabricates an illness in their child, the mother is said to use poison and hurt the child in order to prove the child’s illness. A diagnosis of this condition means the child is seen as being at a high risk if being murdered by the mother.

 There have been a number of  recent articles in the press about mums that have been spied on and accused of Munchausin by Proxy by their school teachers because they were pushing for their child with autism to receive more help.  here. Munchausin by Proxy was advocated by Sir Roy Meadow who is used as an expert witness by the courts in a number of child custody cases. He was discredited by the Sally Clarke case and yet is still regularly called upon as an expert witness. This means there may be many incidents where children are wrongly removed from their family home and placed with strangers.

Sir Roy Meadow had his medical licence removed by the GMC , however it was re-instated because a judge ruled that a statistical error shouldn’t mean he loses his licence. This judgement means that medical experts in child abuse cases are immune from prosecution no matter how inaccurate the information they provide. The judge said, “In any event, public policy required that an expert who gave evidence in court should be immune from disciplinary proceedings initiated by anybody but the trial judge. This was based on the principle that a witness could not be sued over remarks made in court.

Otherwise, experts would be deterred from giving evidence. Children can only be protected from abuse if those who suspect abuse are able to give their honest opinion without fear of retribution.” It is within this context that mothers of children with autism are being accused of mental illness. One of the difficulties with Aspergers Syndrome is that it is a hidden condition.

The  difficulties that are experienced by the child may not be apparent to teaching staff and social workers. A child with Aspergers Syndrome may keep it together in school and have terrible meltdowns at home. This is common with this form of autism but may lead to staff feeling the parents are exagerating. Children’s mental health services in the UK have long waiting lists which may leave families and children without the support they need. It is important for autism advocates like Alex to work hard and raise autism awareness. If teachers and social worker can learn more about autism these tragic cases will be less likely to occur.

 

How to protect yourself from a false accusation of Munchausin by Proxy

1. Always speak in a measured way – when staff and Doctor’s don’t seem to believe how difficult your child’s behaviours are it can be easy to become angry and frustrated. This will add to the feeling that you are out of control.

2. Keep records of every meeting and follow these meetings up with an e-mail with written records of the meeting.

3. The criteria for Munchausin by proxy is not officially classified in the DSM V but it under the section called  ‘Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study’. You can read abut it here. You can read an article here, ‘Munchausen Myth debunked- Autism Research.’ Mothers of children with autism were blamed for their condition by psychoanalysts and were called ‘refrigerator mothers’ and here again mothers are being blamed for their children’s autism. France is still using this approach to autism which has devastating consequences for children. Autism is a serious neurological condition, individuals with autism are shown to have different brain processes on fmri scans.

Here is a quote from an aricle in Psychology Today that sums up the problems with MBP.

‘Feldman attributes the confusion, in part, to invalid profiling. “There is no profile,” he says. “There has to be proof.”

But there, too, problems abound. Subject to misinterpretation, tools like covert taping (used to entrap Kelly Savage) and family separation (the evidence against the Taimuty-Loomis family) can lead to false allegations. Children who suffer from acid reflux are a prime example. They are often treated with Reglan, a drug that can cause seizures and a full range of unusual side effects. Mothers are blamed for the symptoms, and then separated from their children. The treatment is stopped, and the children get well, apparently confirming MBP. And since many conditions improve on their own over time, the separation test is an imperfect investigative tool.

In light of all this, even doctors convinced of MBP’s reality are pulling back. Feldman insists the syndrome exists, but says “we’ve gone too far. Those of us on the front lines must take ownership of the problem and admit we’ve been overzealous. Innocent mothers have been accused.” Feldman is especially troubled because when vindictive doctors make false reports, they’re protected by the law and consequences are nil.

“We have created a monster in our imagination that we project onto certain mothers,” Pankratz says. “Some of these mothers have problems in the medical management of their children and need clinical help, but the exotic label has entangled them in a destructive web, seemingly without escape.”

Eric Mart points to psychiatry as a field rife with discredited theories—for instance the idea that “refrigerator mothers” create autistic kids. When studies are done, such concepts are relegated to the dustbin of science, and MBP stands poised to end there, too, he states. “I’m not saying the abuse doesn’t happen,” Mart emphasizes. “I’m just saying the theory behind the syndrome doesn’t hold up.”

“Why call it Munchausen,” asks Kirk Witherspoon, “when you can just call it abuse or murder.”(Fieldman as cited in Weintraub, 2007  here.)

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For a film on how anxiety affects Alex now see here.

For advice on a panic attack see here

If you would like to book Alex to come to speak at your organisation see here

 

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