Fabricated or factitiously induced illness in a neonate: A case report and review of literature

Abstract

Fabricated or factitiously induced illness (FII) is a form of child abuse in which a caregiver imposes an illness on a child for some attention or gains. These gains could be financial or psychological. It is also known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. In our clinical setting, the patient load is usually high and documentation is not adequate. Most cases could go unnoticed or undiagnosed due to work pressure. The case highlights a neonate with multiple admissions due to induced, imposed, and exaggerated illnesses by a mother, to get financial and psychological attention from the husband. She was found to have severe depression and background borderline personality disorder after a psychiatric evaluation. A high index of suspicion and communication between health-care providers including documentation helps in early detection of these children with FII. The need to further investigate and rule out risk factors in caregivers and child cannot be overemphasized.