Health encyclopaedia

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Diagnosis of Munchausen’s syndrome

People with Munchausen’s syndrome and those who are responsible for FII often go from doctor to doctor and gain admission into many hospitals. This means detection, and therefore diagnosis, can be difficult.

Factors that may point to Munchausen’s or FII include:

•  medical problems that do not respond to treatment or that follow an unusual course;
• physical or laboratory findings that are highly unusual or impossible;

With FII, there may also be

• signs and symptoms of a child’s illness only occurring in the carer’s presence; and
• family history of similar sibling illness, or unexplained sibling illness or death.

The suspected parent may have an emotionally distant relationship with his or her spouse, who often fails to visit the child in hospital.  The person or their carer may also be medically knowledgeable and may work in a health related job.

 A hospital doctor may suspect a problem and involve other agencies such as local social services. FII can qualify as abuse under the Child Abuse Prevention Act of 1974, which means that a court may remove the child and order psychological tests and criminal investigation of the person responsible.

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