This article is meant as a summary of three medical conditions that affect children who are neglected or abused by their parents.
1. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: A condition that affects mostly children who are preschool-aged, Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a situation that occurs when a child’s parent or guardian embellishes upon or completely makes up an illness that the child may or may not be diagnosed with. Children who suffer from Munchausen syndrome by proxy can be victim to unnecessary surgeries and intentional medical neglect.
2. Abusive Head Trauma: Also known as shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma is an injury to a child’s head that is a direct product of blows to the head, shaking, dropping, or throwing. Most of the victims of this condition are less than one year old, and the effects can include serious brain damage.
3. Child Traumatic Stress: Children who have experienced physical or emotional distress may exhibit characteristics of child traumatic stress, a condition that shows the effect of the stressful event through the child’s emotional responses, behavior, and actions. Those children who have child traumatic stress may become submissive, shy, anxious, or troubled.
About the author:
After he graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Master’s degree in Psychology, Dr. Michael Elterman embarked on a career that would lead him to specialize in child and adult clinical psychology. During Dr. Michael Elterman’s career as a private practitioner in Vancouver, British Columbia, he has supplied evidence for cases involving child development, child custody and access, and sexual and physical child abuse. Dr. Michael Elterman, who is familiar with several debilitating conditions that are the consequence of child abuse, continues to treat children and parents out of his facility in Vancouver.
Dr. Michael Elterman 