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Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy Reconsidered By Eric G. Mart ( Bally Vaughan Pub. )
Release Date: 2002-01-31
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List Price: $34.95
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Product Description
A thorough critique of the rare diagnosis "Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy" (MSBP) and the way in which it has been employed by medical, mental health and child protective professionals. The macabre nature of this syndrome, in which parents or other caretakers fabricate, exaggerate or induce symptoms of illness in their children in order to obtain unnecessary medical treatment, has attracted attention in the scientific literature and popular news media. The number of cases of MSBP reported and prosecuted has steadily increased in recent years, and allegations of MSBP have been appearing in contexts other than child protective actions, such as medical malpractice lawsuits, in which MSBP has been offered as a defense, and child custody disputes. While a number of books and scholarly articles have proposed protocols for the careful evaluation of these complex cases, a review of the collected case materials show that serious methodological errors as well as problems in the conceptualization of the disorder and the steps needed to diagnose it are more the rule than the exception in this area. Further, the doctors and mental health experts who pursue these cases are often haphazard and sloppy in their methods, despite the appalling harm inflicted on families when these professionals are mistaken in their conclusions. Eric G. Mart, a forensic psychologist and internationally-known expert on Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, examines prevalent investigative and diagnostic techniques, as well as the literature and research on the disorder, according to the standards of empirical science. Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy Reconsidered explores the difference between empiricism and the clinical method and discusses concepts such as confirmatory bias and logical errors, which contribute to the misdiagnosis of MSBP and other conditions. These concepts are illustrated with case narratives and material from alleged MSBP cases in which Dr. Mart has been involved. Dr. Mart concludes with a revealing account of the legal process in child protective cases, and the lack of protections afforded to parents accused of MSBP and in danger of having their children seized by the state. Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy Reconsidered provides an unsettling look at the harm and injustice that misguided professionals can inflict by means of a "benevolent" process.
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 Hurts Those Suffering
There are some who believe that MSP is a false disease, created only to hurt mothers and ruin their credibility in the medical world.
Unfortunately, there are those, like me, who know that MSP is not a fictious disease, but a very real form of abuse. This book just hurts those who have suffered for years as victims.
I am sure MSP is falsely attributed to many medical situations each year. However, there are also many cases in which it should be recognized, but thanks to works such as these, the authorities are scared to use this term.
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 Science to refute anecdotal stories
This is an excellent book debunking the junk science of MSBP, now called PCF (pediatric condition falsification). It shows how this is just a fad of "mommy bashing", with mostly male doctors feeling threatened by advocate oriented, knowledgable moms. While MSBP may occur in very rare cases, the rash of "diagnoses" (100 to 200 by a pediatrician, Kenneth Feldman, in Seattle alone)is not supported by scientific research. Dr. Mart was even recently quoted by an appellate judge in his opinion on a MSBP case in Washington State. Dr. Mart is well respected and writes in a way which is easy to follow.
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Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy Reconsidered
As a Director of a residential home for children and a clinician with over 25 years of experience in the field,I found Dr. Mart's book to be an astounding, educational treat. His work is a highly informative read - one that asks and answers the tough questions about MBPS. This text will be required reading for all treatment staff, as it forces one to view the field from a critical, scientific perspective.
I feel confident that this book will become the new "high water mark" in the field. A must read.Lou Catano N.C.C.
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If You read nothing else on MSBP read this book ( claiborn )
Mart has written an important book that all of us in mental the mental health professions should read carefully. Munchausen's by proxy is the latest in a series of syndromes accepted uncritically and based largely on a very small number of tentative observations and a feedback loop which validates the concept by citation. It goes a little like this. Smith writes a paper in which he claims he has observed a case of MSBP and it had the following characteristics. Jones writes a paper and cites Smith. Smith cites Jones and so on. It is like a therapist who once told me that he knew satanic ritual abuse including human sacrifice must be occurring since he had heard it from so many patients in groups. This same sort of logic has been applied to a number of "syndromes" and MSBP is a hot topic. Mart carefully explains how the logic is flawed. He describes the errors in interpretation of the data by others who have published on MSBP and makes it clear how problems like misunderstanding of base rates and types of errors have led to reification of a questionable concept. This is an important problem not only because of the potential damage associated with false positive diagnoses of mothers as having MBPS but because we are so prone to make the same sort of thinking errors in so many areas. Most of us will never see a case of alleged MSBP. All of us can benefit from learning to develop critical thinking.
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Addiction
