Psychiatry and Psychology

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

A phenomenon in which symptoms of a disease are fabricated by an individual other than the patient causing unnecessary, and often painful, physical examinations and treatments. This syndrome is considered a form of CHILD ABUSE, since another individual, usually a parent, is the source of the fabrication of symptoms and presents the child for medical care.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A phenomenon in which symptoms of a disease are fabricated by an individual other than the patient causing unnecessary, and often painful, physical examinations and treatments. This syndrome is considered a form of CHILD ABUSE, since another individual, usually a parent, is the source of the fabrication of symptoms and presents the child for medical care.

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Aspects Covered

32 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemically induced, classification, complications, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, diet therapy, drug therapy, economics, enzymology, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, genetics, history, immunology, legislation & jurisprudence, metabolism, microbiology, mortality, nursing, parasitology, pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control, psychology, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, urine, virology.

MeSH Record

History Note

92

MeSH Record

Previous Indexing

  • Munchausen Syndrome (1977-1991)

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Number

  1. F03w.875w.375w.800w

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D016735. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D016735
  2. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factitious_disorder_imposed_on_another
  3. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1414765