Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood

Abstract

Reviews the book Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory. Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MBP) exists in a strange limbo between a diagnosis of psychiatric illness in a parent and a diagnosis of abuse in a child. Julie Gregory's story is unusual in that it is told from the point of view of a child made ill by her mother. Her mother's fabrications are never recognized by her doctors despite their intimate involvement in the abuse that she perpetrates on Julie. This is the rule rather than the exception in cases of MBP, and, although the condition is not uncommon, there are undoubtedly countless numbers of cases that go unrecognized for years. Gregory paints a vivid picture of a family tormented by generations of mental illness and cruelty. In many ways, the author gives a classic case history of MBP, with a mother who invents symptoms, imposes starvation diets, and gives unnecessary medication to gain a relationship with health care professionals. Gregory's case is unusual in that her mother continues to create illnesses for her well into her teenage years. Her memoir is a moving account of her recovery from abuse and is refreshingly free of jargon and any in-depth attempt to understand what drove her mother's actions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)