Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood
By Julie Gregory
Categories: Non-Fiction, medical conditions
A compelling first-hand account of the chilling disorder called Munchausen by Proxy (MBP). Originally published in 2003, it’s the first of its kind to depict the trauma caused when an adult, in this case Julie’s mother, intentionally misleads everyone into believing her child is sick. Julie is put through countless procedures, tests, examinations, and a variety of drugs to aid the symptoms her mother makes up. This book was gruesome, not only were this girl’s parents dismissive and abusive, they kept it going for years.
The first half reads as a sort of “what more could they possibly do to this poor girl?” and it isn’t until Julie is about 30 that she breaks out of this cycle where she needs her parents. It was very well written, and there’s always this lingering question of “how does it end, why does she keep associating with her mother?” One thing I did not like, that stuck with me, was Julie likening her dependence on her mother (despite and even because of the abuse) to dragging around a placenta. It struck me as odd because Julie was never protected or nurtured by her mother, just manipulated and abused. The nature of their relationship is only brought to an end when a grown up Julie sees her mother doing the exact same thing to another helpless twelve year old girl. This was an absorbing read with a lot of insightful glimpses as to the destructive nature of MBP. Anyone interested in Psychology or social work would do well to read this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment