Essays on Munchausen

Application of strain theory to the criminal case for Beverly Allitt

Application of strain theory to the criminal case for Beverly Allitt

Background information on Beverly Allitt

Beverly Allitt is a British female nurse convicted of murder and attempted murder charges in May 1993 after killing four babies and attempting to kill nine others (Marks & Richmond 2008). Her early life demonstrated incidences of attention-seeking through unconventional means such as causing injury to others or feigning illnesses. The height of her pretence was witnessed when she caused the surgical removal of her otherwise perfectly functioning appendix which she insisted was interfering with the healing of a scar she had self-inflicted. On occasions, she would tie a ...

Response to Kayla:

Parents and caregivers who intentionally make children sick pursuing their specific goals definitely deserve punishment by the law, but it is a serious question what form this punishment should have. I share the opinion of Kayla and suggest their sending to a mental hospital for the major part of their lives. Furthermore, I want to add that the mental hospital should be closed, and any contacts with the outer world should be controlled. The closed mental hospital could be the severer punishment than prison, as it is almost for life, not just for several years. It is often hard ...

The Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a common ailment that has been evident for some time now. However, it is a syndrome that is not clearly understood as the scientist is still doing more research on it. To be precise, the syndrome is just but a little behavior pattern that is propagated by a caregiver to the dependent. It occurs in such a way that a spouse either exaggerates or fabricates and induces some form of mental or physical health to those that they care for. Researchers have discovered that parents do this with the primary objective of either ...

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) is a mental health disorder that involves a caretaker causing illness or injury to an individual under his or her care, for example, a child, elderly adult, or physically challenged people. MSBP disorder is relatively rare and its name is credited to Baron von Munchausen, a German dignitary who existed in the 18th-century, and was famous for creating stories of his expeditions to gain attention. The last two initials, B.P. (By Proxy), imply that the parent or care giver is feigning and fabricating symptoms in a child. The problem of MSBP is classified as ...