This Englishwoman made everyone believe for six years that her perfectly normal daughter was suffering from multiple illnesses. The young girl, aged 12 today, under the influence of her mother, took drugs dangerous to her health and lived in a wheelchair. A very tricky example of Münchhausen syndrome by proxy.
- A 12-year-old girl has spent half her life in a wheelchair when she was perfectly able-bodied.
- According to her mother, she suffered from multiple pathologies, including epilepsy and autism.
For six years, she put her daughter through hell. In the UK, a mother kept her daughter in a wheelchair for six years, claiming she was suffering from “fits”. During all these years, the girl, now aged 12, suffered excessive and unnecessary medical treatment, even causing her to go to school in a wheelchair.
A young girl with various illnesses
The daily DailyMail recounts how, according to the High Court of Justice, the girl was subjected to “excessive surveys and assessments”, in addition to receiving drugs that are dangerous for his state of health, some of which may damage his sight. The mistreatment by his mother also caused him to suffer severe disruption in his schooling. Custody of the child was taken away from his mother. The girl has been living with relatives for several months. She is also followed in a specialized establishment concerning the long-term care she has to undergo.
The mother of the family began in 2011 to provide social services with exaggerated or erroneous reports on the state of health and behavior of her daughter. It was not until 2018 that state services questioned the various diagnoses that the girl seemed to have. A child protection investigation has since been opened and council social services officials have started a trial in family court.
According to social services, the mother of the family would have “perpetuated the idea“that the girl suffered”uncontrolled epilepsy and autism”, as well as a number of other illnesses, allegations which she denies. The mother justified the treatment she put her child through by presenting her daughter as a disabled child with a life-limiting illness, who needed a wheelchair, a special school, specialized diet and, at some point, artificial feeding.
Münchhausen by proxy
In reality, the girl is completely normal and has no signs of epilepsy, autism, is energetic and all physically normal. “I cannot say at this point what prompted the mother to describe her child as having so many problems – whether it was an anxiety-distorted belief system, a desire for help from ‘one way or another, a more general display of distress or something else’says the judge.
The mother’s case could be akin to Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which relies on mimicking a factitious illness or disorder in order to draw attention or sympathy to oneself. The problem of this mental behavioral disorder lies in the abuse suffered by children, because he takes the upper hand over his offspring without asking the opinion of the child in his care. Due to the young age of the victim and the relationship of trust that binds him with his parent, the child does not realize that he is being manipulated without his knowledge and that he is putting his life in danger.
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