Thursday, May 1, 2025

FDIA aka Munchausen Syndrome

I have never heard of Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), also know as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), before. FDIA occurs when a caregiver creates the appearance of health problems in another person – typically their child. 

Interestingly more than 90% of cases of FDIA involve a person's mother. Why is not known. You could argue that mothers are more often the caregivers or that mothers are more often non-working than fathers. But I wonder how much if it involves false allegations in divorce proceedings. It is pretty common for a parent, especially a mother, to claim that a father's behavior or even presence adversely affects the child's mental health. 

Sorry to say but I have seen it first hand. My ex-wife tried to claim that the kids were scared of me which was quite ridiculous. The reality is they always had a much better relationship with me than their mother and in fact moved  in with me full times as quickly as they possibly could.