Question

In the last six years, Mary has constantly made her 4-year-old daughter, Madeline ill. Mary has given Madeline small doses of rat poisoning so that Madeline needed immediate medical attention. Mary also failed to give Madeline prescribed medication, worsening Madeline's condition. All the while Mary has hidden from her family and from authorities what she is doing. Mary, however, craved the attention of being the caring and nurturing mother to a sickly child. Mary's actions can best be described as a form of:

Answer 1

The term that best describes Mary's actions is Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP), a form of child abuse where a caregiver fabricates or induces illness in a person under their care for attention and sympathy.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mary's actions towards Madeline can be best described as a form of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP). This is a mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under their care, such as a child, elderly adult, or person who has a disability. Caregivers with MSBP may lie about the child's symptoms, tamper with medical tests to make the child appear ill, physically harm the child to produce symptoms, and they may also seek out repeated medical attention and hospitalizations for the child, reveling in the attention and sympathy they receive.

It is a rare form of child abuse that involves the exaggeration or fabrication of illnesses or symptoms by a primary caretaker. In the case presented, Mary's creation of a sickly state in Madeline through deliberate poisoning and medical neglect, coupled with her desire to appear as a nurturing mother, fits the criteria for this disorder. MSBP is a dangerous form of abuse that can cause serious harm or even death to the child.