There are a number of psychological illnesses that would acquire an aspiring psychologist’s attention. Naturally, those with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) will undoubtedly take precedence above all others. However, before one can identify a mental illness, it would be prudent to first gain an understanding of what is construed as a psychological disorder. According to Eric Maisel, DSM-V defines a mental disorder as “a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological or developmental process underlying mental functioning” (Maisel, E. R., Ph.D. 2013, July 23. The New Definition of a Mental Disorder). In other words, psychological disorder is one that comprises of one’s beliefs, actions, and reactions that may produce harm to self or others and would ultimately deem the patient incapable of functioning properly. This could mean the person may potentially be a danger to him / herself and/or others. One illness that would fall under the aforementioned definition is Munchausen’s Disorder. Most people usually dread becoming sick; some would go to extremes to avoid getting even the slightest cold by consuming the necessary vitamins and incorporating a proper diet and exercise into his / her daily …show more content…
First, there is Munchausen’s Syndrome where the patient inflicts self-injuries in order to receive medical treatment. The other is Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy where the patient causes injury to a loved one, so that that person receives medical attention. The latter, can be considered the more dangerous of the two as it involves someone else and is also the most common. With Munchausen by Proxy, a mother would inflict injuries upon her child fabricating symptoms of illness, causing unnecessary and harmful medical examination, admission and treatments (Meadow, R. (1982). Munchausen syndrome by
In relating the details of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP), the initial reaction is usually shock, followed quickly by fascination. The reason for the latter is that the medical community has yet to make up their minds about what exactly MSBP is. The debate: psychiatric disorder v. child abuse. Essentially the arguments for both create a divide between the brain and behavior, though not relating the two.
Psychological disorder: According to the textbook, Psychology: Principles in Practices, they are behavioral patterns or mental processes that can cause personal suffering. With that being said, wouldn’t that mean that if a person had a psychological disorder, they would have a disturbance within them, or more importantly, their brain? A psychological disorder, by definition, are the behavior patterns or mental processes that cause serious personal suffering or interfere with a person’s day to day life or routine. In contrast, a personality disorder is characterized as patterns of inflexible traits that can cause a disturbance in the afflicted person’s personal life and may cause distress. To fully understand disorders, psychologists
For decades, Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) has been rarely diagnosed or discussed; when asked what MSbP, most people will draw a blank. Only specialists in the fields such as child-welfare, or psychology are fully aware of the danger of this abuse that claims the life of nine percent of the individuals that fall victim to it (Morrel and Tilley 2). MSbP is such a difficult disorder to diagnose that, by the time the condition is evident, the victim has usually gone through many painful, unneeded procedures and face irreparable mental and physical damage. Due to the relatively low amount of information available surrounding MSbP, treatment and understanding for the sufferer is genuinely very limited.
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP), is a form of child abuse in which a parent or caregiver makes up or actually causes illnesses within a child so that they may obtain professional medical treatment and advice for the child all the while
People with a factious disorder imposed on another such as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy have a need for their victim which is usually their child to be seen as injured or ill (Cleveland Clinic, 2015). The perpetrator does not do this
Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a mental illness and form of child abuse that claims the lives of 9% of its victims (Heffner, 2004). It is defined as, “a psychological disorder in which a parent, typically a mother, harms her child (as by poisoning), falsifies the child 's medical history, or tampers with the child 's medical specimens in order to create a situation that requires or seems to require medical attention” (Merriam-Webster, 1977). In most cases, the mother is the abuser and plagues the life of her child and/or children by making them ill in order to receive attention, affection, and love. They thrive on feeling important and needed, and feel accomplished when they succeed in making their child/children ill (Meadow, 1989).
Psychological disorders are stated to be abnormalities of the mind, known as mental disorders (Klasco, 2011). Abnormalities of the mind cause persistent behaviors that affect an individual’s daily function and life (Klasco, 2011). The different types of psychological disorders include mood disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders (Klasco, 2011). The causes of these disorders are unknown, but factors that contribute to these disorders include childhood experiences, chemical imbalances in the brain, illnesses, heredity, stress, and prenatal exposures (Klasco, 2011). Psychological disorders can be serious and can be life-threatening
There are many different psychological disorders that can determine a person’s actions or emotions. Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as heart disease is a disorder of the heart, mental illnesses are medical conditions of the
A more concerning condition stems from this, called Munchausen Syndrome by proxy (MSBP), in which the person inflicts injuries onto others for the same reasons, to gain attention. Usually it is in the form of a parent harming their child, wherein is a form of child abuse. In the beginning of the rise of Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, it was not seen clearly as a form of child abuse but is now considered very dangerous with most victims being at the preschool age, but some cases have been recorded up to the age of 16 with equal numbers of boys and girls.
According to Ronald J. Comer (2014), Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a unique psychological disorder in which two individuals are directly involved. The individual experiencing the symptoms of the disorder is victimized by another individual suffering a distinct psychological disorder. Typically, the relationship between the two individuals are parent and child, and specifically, the child is victimized by the parent. Parents who subject their children to the symptoms have been shown to be psychologically distressed, and children are typically afflicted with worsened medical conditions (Comer, 2014).
A psychological disorder, also known as a mental disorder, is a pattern of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple life areas and create distress for the person experiencing these symptoms. These symptoms are characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual 's cognitive, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental process underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities. Approximately 26 percent of American adults over the age of 18 suffer from some diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. (Cherry)
However, I now understand how crucial this diagnosis is. It is disturbing to know that this is taking place more often today. From my perspective, I can’t grasp how a parent or guardian could treat their child like they are ill or enforce ill upon them. However, I do believe it should be considered a psychological disorder. There are many other mental illnesses that pose harm to people, yet they are viewed as something that needs to be treated. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy should be treated the same as any other mental
There are times when people are plagued with thoughts, behaviors or emotions that will inhibit them from normal behavior. These are known as psychological disorders. These disorders come in many forms but all will have large effects on a person’s life.
Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS) is a disorder of which should bring awareness to the medical field. It is not well understood and brings a lot of controversy. This disorder is when a parent, usually the mother, who purposely causes illness to her child rather physically or emotionally. The disorder was named after Baron von Munchausen, from the 18th century who gained fame from his tales. The child only becomes sick in the presence of the mother which makes it hard to identify the cause of the illness. It is thought that the reasoning for MBPS is the need for attention The only treatment known for this
There are no systematic data specifying which variants of psychopathology are most prevalent among psychologists and other mental health professionals (Millon, 1986). This article is basically reporting that any psychosis or mental health issues have no prejudices. Psychologists experience the same issues that their patients experience and sometimes more due to the neglect of their own issues for such an extended period of time. Psychosis is a psychiatric classification for a mental state in which the perception of reality is distorted (Moore, 1937). This article explains in depth what psychosis entails and also explains that psychosis or other issues of instability affect all individuals. An example of when an