The docuseries "The Battle for Justina Pelletier" illustrates the assumed Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSP) case of the titular character Justina Pelletier.
Newsweek notes how Pelletier was just 14 years old when she was taken from parental care and into the Boston Children's Hospital. As shown in the said series, the hospital was worried that Pelletier was battling MSP.
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSP): a Form of Child Abuse
MSP, or Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, is a condition wherein the child's primary caregiver induces or fakes sickness in the child. WebMD notes how this behavioral condition is quite rare and that it usually affects the primary caregiver, which, in most cases, is the mother.
This condition is a form of child abuse. Its name is taken from the acknowledged Munchausen syndrome, a related psychological condition in which individuals fake illness on their own. Such conditions are also referred to as factitious disorders.
According to Newsweek, the established mortality rate is around 6% to 9%. In most cases, the physical and psychological effects may affect children throughout their lives.
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Justina Pelletier's Case
Pelletier's parents strongly disagreed that what they did to Justina was abuse.
Her parents brought her to Boston Children's Hospital in February 2013, when Pelletier expressed grave stomach discomfort and pain. In the past, Pelletier was given a mitochondrial disease diagnosis, which causes seizures, impaired vision and hearing, grave fatigue, and heart problems.
The hospital doctors did not believe such a diagnosis. They thought that Pelletier was going through a somatoform disorder that made her go through actual symptoms that resulted from psychological distress.
The doctors eventually concluded that Justine Pelletier's case was that of MSP, in which the doctors said that Pelletier's parents overmedicated her.
Pelletier was taken away from parental care and kept at Boston Children's hospital for over a year before moving to a facility in Massachusetts. During this period, Pelletier's parents were not allowed to talk about medical concerns with Justina and others not from the facility.
A custody battle took place for over 16 months. Later on, the judge disregarded the child protection suit against the parents. The Pelletier family later filed a lawsuit against the hospital, charging them with medical malpractice. However, in 2020, the jury noted that the hospital was not negligent in taking care of Justina Pelletier.
According to Newsweek, Boston Children's Hospital expressed how the jury's conclusion affirmed the hospital's belief that their clinicians offered compassionate and quality care to Justina and that they moved forward with Justina's best interests in mind.
Wbur reported in 2020 that Pelletier was performing better but that she still had pangs of pain. She was also still treated by a Connecticut specialist for her mitochondrial condition.
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