Physicians are taking notice of an increase in both mild and severe cases of Munchausen syndrome by proxy — the condition at the center of the closely watched “Take Care of Maya” trial in Florida that ended this week.
Doctors told The Post that the rising incidence of the syndrome, in which caregivers exaggerate a child’s illness to garner sympathy, is driven by a number of factors — including the allure of social media, the flood of medical information available online and an increasingly eroding trust in medicine. establishment.
“It’s still rare, but you’re seeing it more often now,” says a Fort Myers-based pediatrician. “I’m not taking a position on Maya Kowalski’s case here one way or another, or how the hospital handled the situation as a whole. But it is a concern.”
Last month, Bronx mother Tajahnae Brown was arrested and charged with first-degree assault after authorities say she poisoned her four-year-old daughter with “life-threatening levels” of anti-seizure medication.
Munchausen syndrome by proxy is the condition at the center of Florida’s closely watched “Take Care of Maya” trial. Law&Crime Network
Investigators allege that Brown made 190 trips to various providers to obtain unnecessary medication for her son.
In July, Texas mother and social media influencer Jessica Gasser was arrested and accused of faking her 3-year-old son’s illness and causing medical harm.
Police said the 27-year-old gave his daughter 28 unnecessary shots and took her to dozens of doctor’s appointments in three states to continue the stunt.
Beata Kowalski (left) and Maya Kowalski (right) in Netflix’s “Take Care of Maya.” Courtesy of Netflix
Fort Myers physicians say such cases are at the end of the spectrum of strict parental involvement in their children’s care – from doctors refusing routine procedures to full-on Munchausen by proxy cases where children are placed at obvious risk.
“People go to WebMD now and they think they know what’s going on with their child,” he said. “With some people it becomes obsessive. I see more parents pushing now than ever before. It’s a real issue.”
A Jacksonville-based doctor echoed those sentiments, noting that he’s fielding more doubts from parents now than in years past.
Tajahnae Brown was arrested for trying to poison her own son last month. Christopher Sadowski
“Honestly, I think a lot of this can be traced to the COVID vaccine controversy,” he said. “There are many people who reject it. In many cases, it puts them at odds with their doctors. I think that leads to skepticism with other things outside of COVID. And that’s unfortunate. It has real consequences.”
This doctor drew parallels between the rise in home schooling of children and what he called “home doctoring.”
In some of the more egregious cases of Munchausen’s proxy, social media attention – and the potential for illegal profits from fundraisers – was the driving force, the MD said.
Influencer Jessica Gasser has been charged with unnecessarily hitting her son.Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office
“Before, there weren’t many avenues for people to get things from manufacturing or making things,” the Fort Myers physician said. “That has changed now. I have to believe it played a role.”
Although practitioners declined to take a position on the jury’s decision in Maya Kowalski’s case, both said they hope it doesn’t have a chilling effect on doctors’ willingness to call for questionable parental care.
“Can hospitals mishandle cases?” said the Jacksonville doctor. “Of course. There are many gray areas here. But there are situations where there is a need to intervene.”
A Florida jury ruled Thursday that Maya, now 17, was wrongfully incarcerated at Johns Hopkins Saint Petersburg All Children’s Hospital, finding that the facility was charged $261 million.
Maya’s mother, Beata Kowalski, has urged doctors to give her aggressive ketamine treatment for what she says is a severe nervous breakdown.
The hospital referred the case to Florida child welfare authorities, and a judge later made Maya a ward of the state.
After three months of being separated from her daughter, Beata Kowalski committed suicide in January 2017.
Lawyers for the hospital argued that staff reported the mother out of legitimate concern for Maya’s welfare.
The family’s attorney countered that the facility wrongly dismissed the parents’ claims that Maya suffered from Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome and had improperly isolated her.
The case was chronicled in the Netflix documentary “Take Care of Maya,” which debuted on the streaming service on June 19 and was viewed 13.8 million times in the first two weeks after its release.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
