Munchausen by proxy, now more commonly called Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA) in psychiatric terminology, is a mental health disorder in which a caregiver deliberately exaggerates, fabricates, or induces medical symptoms in someone under their care, usually a child, in order to gain attention, sympathy, or a sense of control.

Key Features

• Perpetrator: Usually a parent or guardian, often the mother.
  
• Victim: Most often a child, but can be anyone dependent on the caregiver.
  

Behavior

• Falsifying symptoms (e.g., claiming the child has seizures or allergies that aren’t there)
  
• Inducing illness (e.g., poisoning, withholding medications, suffocating)
  
• Frequent hospital visits and medical procedures
  
• Motivation: Psychological need for attention, praise, or sympathy from medical professionals or others—not for material gain.