[EBKatie]

A NSW mother has been banned from contacting her four children until they are 18, after her son was admitted to hospital 115 times in three years. Rather than being gravely ill, the Children's Court heard that the woman showed signs of the rare disorder Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) - a form of child abuse where parents repeatedly invent illnesses for their children, in order to receive attention and sympathy.

Read the rest of the article here

Have you ever encountered this kind of behaviour either online or in real life?

[Bek+3]

Wow. That's incredibly sad.
Why were these kids being admitted though I wonder? Was she making them ill on purpose? A doctor wont admit a child to hospital if they are not sick?

[mudskippa]

Yes. A friend of mine is a stepmother and the mother is always making up illnesses for the child involved. It's very frustrating because she keeps sending huge lists of instructions for allergies/syndromes/conditions and telling the child they have to abide by it (so she will refuse to eat something out of fear) or she'll withhold access.

Every time they've gone to a doctor there is nothing wrong with the child beyond normal childhood illness. The child is too young to work it all out yet - why something is fine one week but not the next or why it okay to do something in one location but not another. It's like some weird control issue - trying to control her daughter's time in the other home in whatever way she can.

They are going through court to get more access at the moment because they are concerned about the child being affected by this obsession with health and also just want more access, so this will be good news for them.

This post has been edited by mudskippa: 28/06/2012, 12:29 PM

[mpjp]

Wow. That's incredibly sad.
Why were these kids being admitted though I wonder? Was she making them ill on purpose? A doctor wont admit a child to hospital if they are not sick?

According to teh article she 'attempted' to have them admitted, and repeatedly 'took' them to hospital which is different to actual admission.

[zaacaa]

The child wasnt admitted all those times, the mother took him to hospital claiming he was sick, 115 times in 3 years.

Its a horrible situation for all of the children involved, but its good to see that the kids are with their father now and there have been no further trips to hospital.

Is also a shame the mother isnt agreeing to get help, she doesnt think that she needs it.

[Spunkrat]

..

This post has been edited by Spunkrat: 01/09/2012, 02:26 PM

[mudskippa]

People with Munchausen syndrome, whether online or fully realised - leave a trail of destruction behind them – broken families, deceived friends, exhausted moderators.

Hilarious.

[Guest_holy_j_*]

Wow. That's incredibly sad.
Why were these kids being admitted though I wonder? Was she making them ill on purpose? A doctor wont admit a child to hospital if they are not sick?

It says it was mostly for asthma attacks.That doesn't mean she was making the sick, though certainly doesn't exclude it. I hope not.

I think its incredibly sad for the children, and i think its also incredibly sad for the mother, 115 times and it took that long to see she wasn't right? She needed mental help a long time ago, where is the children's father in all of this? her friends? her family? I would be asking questions a lot sooner than that if i was related to or friends with the woman.

[opethmum]

Munchausen by proxy is very serious and who knows what she made the kids do and I guess through time the children will be able to get counselling and come to terms with their past. I am glad the mother had had her parental rights terminated especially if she is refusing help.
Who knows what she would have done to them if she was left alone with them for one day longer. Having a child attempt suicide is not on and I am glad that he survived and is now completely better.

[boatiebabe]

I'm pretty sure in this case a lot of people were asking a lot of questions for at least a couple of years. So it's not as if no one has noticed over the last few years.

I don't think anyone would take away a mother's rights to have access her child/ren unless there was a pretty thorough process which had been gone through. Doesn't mean there was inaction by the authorities.