A literature review and case study provide detailed characteristics of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a form of child abuse wherein the mother falsifies illness in her child through simulation and/or production of illness, presenting the child for medical care while disclaiming knowledge of its etiology. Guidelines for medical, social service, and…

Potential long-term effects of the trauma of severe sexual abuse on a child's sense of living in his/her body and in the world are explored. Trauma and dissociation are analyzed and linked to a posttraumatic sense of personal identity. Then dissociation, multiple personality disorder, eating disorders, somatization disorder, self-mutilation, and…