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By Elijah Collazo, Staff Writer, January 24th, 2024
Abuse comes in countless ways. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is a psychological disorder that affects caregivers- more commonly diagnosed in mothers. What MSP does is make a caregiver gain attention from convincing doctors or charities that a child is ill. These claimed “illnesses” have exaggerated, or even sometimes, made up symptoms. Doctors and healthcare providers are often unable to identify the cause of these symptoms.
By presenting themselves as a loving and caring parent, they are often able to fool doctors who would not suspect abuse. It's the psychological aspect that makes this disorder so effective on society. These caregivers oftentimes appear very loving and caring to their child. They use manipulative tactics to seem distraught and hopeless in their child's illness to win over the trust of their healthcare providers.
One of the most infamous cases of this disease is Claudine and Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Gypsy was the victim of the abuse, and her mother Claudine was the abuser. Gypsy grew up convinced that she had a variety of illnesses. Her and her mother were best friends. She believed her mother’s word over her own, even when she would lie to her about her age. Her mother was essentially using her as a cash cow until she was in her twenties. The alleged illnesses included Leukemia, Epilepsy, Asthma, Muscular Dystrophy, sleep apnea, and brain damage due to premature birth, etc. All of which is false. Tragically, Gypsy ended up helping set up her mothers murder when she was 23 with her boyfriend Nick Godejohn. This case grew very popular in the US as the community was very close with Claudine and Gypsy, so locals noticed Gypsys disappearance and her mothers death right away.
The mini series “The Act” by Michelle Dean is based on the life of Gypsy and Claudine (Dee Dee) Rose, starring Joey King and Patricia Arquette. The way Munchausen Syndrome is portrayed in this production is very realistic. It seems very natural, just as some psychological diseases are in people. Munchausen isn’t comparable to diseases like Dementia or things of that nature. In a way, you start to even believe Dee Dee while you watch this series. They do a great job painting the picture of MSP and its manipulative intensity, through the emotions portrayed in Gypsy, their neighbors, doctors, and more.
This case shows how Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy can lead to a bunch of things. In Dee Dee’s case, it unfortunately led to the end of her life.
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