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Factitious illness by proxy presenting as anorexia and polydipsia by proxy
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Insights
This case study presents a rare instance of polydipsia by proxy, where a mother displaced her own anorexia and polydipsia onto her child, causing malnutrition. The child exhibited developmental delays and psychosocial impairment due to this severe parent-child relationship disturbance.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Factitious illness by proxy (FIP) represents a severe form of parent-child relationship disturbance.
- Polydipsia by proxy is a previously undocumented manifestation of FIP.
Observation:
- A 2-year-old boy presented with malnutrition attributed to maternal anorexia and polydipsia.
- The child displayed cognitive delay and psychosocial impairment.
- A significant disturbance in the mother-child relationship was identified.
Findings:
- The mother exhibited a personality disorder with depressive and paranoid features.
- The father presented with schizoid personality traits.
- The case highlights the potential for displaced psychological symptoms within a family dynamic.
Implications:
- This case expands the understanding of factitious illness by proxy presentations.
- It underscores the importance of comprehensive family psychiatric evaluation in pediatric cases.
- Further research into the mechanisms of symptom displacement in FIP is warranted.
Abstract:
Factitious illness by proxy is a highly pathological form of parent-child relationship. To our knowledge no former case of polydipsia by proxy has been published. The case of a 2-y-old boy suffering from malnutrition due to displacement of maternal anorexia and polydipsia is presented. Child psychiatric evaluation found cognitive delay and psycho-social impairment in the child, as well as a severe mother-child relationship disturbance. Psychological assessment showed a personality disorder with depressive and paranoid features in the mother. The father was described as a schizoid personality. The possible mechanisms of displacement are hypothesized.