ABSTRACT
While the Munchausen-by-proxy syndrome is well recognized, the story of one family has been related to describe some remarkable features. These include the psychopathology of the mother, the involvement of both children in the family, the great difficulty in obtaining proof of child abuse and, finally, the prosecution of the mother in the criminal court.
Subject(s)
Child Abuse/psychology , Mothers/psychology , Munchausen Syndrome/psychology , Adult , Female , Hospitalization , Humans , Infant , MaleABSTRACT
Two surveys of dependency among elderly residents in local authority homes are reported. Dependency levels are compared in the light of the large difference in the amount of accommodation provided by the two authorities. Dependency levels are shown to be unrelated to level of provision. The authors suggest that this finding contradicts assumptions frequently made in planning institutional provision for the elderly. Reducing the number of places in residential care, providing specialist homes or establishing nursing homes may not therefore have the intended effect of changing the dependency mix in institutional care.
