Anastasia Danielle Wojda anna wojda Abusive Parent, Mental Illness Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Munchausen by proxy syndrome

In MBPS, an individual — usually a mother — deliberately makes another person (most often his or her own preschool child) sick or convinces others that the person is sick. The parent or caregiver misleads others into thinking that the child has medical problems by lying and reporting fictitious episodes. He or she may exaggerate, fabricate, or induce symptoms. As a result, doctors usually order tests, try different types of medications, and may even hospitalize the child or perform surgery to determine the cause.

Typically, the perpetrator feels satisfied by gaining the attention and sympathy of doctors, nurses, and others who come into contact with him or her and the child. Some experts believe that it isn't just the attention that's gained from the "illness" of the child that drives this behavior, but also the satisfaction in being able to deceive individuals that they consider to be more important and powerful than themselves.

Because the parent or caregiver appears to be so caring and attentive, often no one suspects any wrongdoing. A perplexing aspect of the syndrome is the ability of the parent or caregiver to fool and manipulate doctors. Frequently, the perpetrator is familiar with the medical profession and is very good at fooling the doctors. Even the most experienced doctors can miss the meaning of the inconsistencies in the child's symptoms. It's not unusual for medical personnel to overlook the possibility of MBPS because it goes against the belief that a parent or caregiver would never deliberately hurt his or her child.

Children who are subject to MBPS are typically preschool age, although there have been reported cases in kids up to 16 years old, and there are equal numbers of boys and girls. About 98% of the perpetrators are female.

Diagnosing MBPS

Diagnosis would involve some of the following:

• a child who has multiple
  
  medical problems that don't respond to treatment or that follow a
  
  persistent and puzzling course
• physical or laboratory
  
  findings that are highly unusual, don't correspond with the child's
  
  medical history, or are physically or clinically impossible
• short-term symptoms that tend
  
  to stop when the perpetrator isn't around
• a parent or caregiver who
  
  isn't reassured by "good news" when test results find no medical
  
  problems, but continues to believe that the child is ill
• a parent or caregiver who
  
  appears to be medically knowledgeable or fascinated with medical details
  
  or appears to enjoy the hospital environment
• a parent or caregiver who's
  
  unusually calm in the face of serious difficulties with the child's health
• a parent or caregiver who's
  
  highly supportive and encouraging of the doctor, or one who is angry and
  
  demands further intervention, more procedures, second opinions, or
  
  transfers to more sophisticated facilities

Causes of MBPS

In some cases, the parents or caregivers themselves were abused, both physically and sexually, as children. They may have come from families in which being sick was a way to get love. The parent's or caregiver's own personal needs overcome his or her ability to see the child as a person with feelings and rights, possibly because the parent or caregiver may have grown up being treated like he or she wasn't a person with rights or feelings.

Other theories say that Munchausen by proxy syndrome is a cry for help on the part of the parent or caregiver, who may be experiencing anxiety or depression or have feelings of inadequacy as a parent or caregiver of a young child. Some may feel a sense of acknowledgement when the doctor confirms their care giving skills. Or, the parent or caregiver may just enjoy the attention that the sick child — and, therefore, he or she — gets.

What Happens to the Child?

Whatever the course, the child's symptoms — whether created or faked — don't happen when the parent isn't present, and they usually go away during periods of separation from the parent. When confronted, the parent usually denies knowing how the illness occurred.

According to experts, common conditions and symptoms that are created or faked by parents or caregivers with MBPS include: failure to thrive, allergies, asthma, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and infections.

The long-term prognosis for these children depends on the degree of damage created by the perpetrator and the amount of time it takes to recognize and diagnose MBPS. Some extreme cases have been reported in which children developed destructive skeletal changes, limps, mental retardation, brain damage, and blindness from symptoms caused by the parent or caregiver. Often, these children require multiple surgeries, each with the risk for future medical problems.

If the child lives to be old enough to comprehend what's happening, the psychological damage can be significant. The child may come to feel that he or she will only be loved when ill and may, therefore, help the parent try to deceive doctors, using self-abuse to avoid being abandoned. And so, some victims of MBPS later become perpetrators themselves.

Getting Help for the Child

If Munchausen by proxy syndrome is suspected, health care providers are required by law to report their concerns. However, after a parent or caregiver is charged, the child's symptoms may increase as the person who is accused attempts to prove the presence of the illness. If the parent or caregiver repeatedly denies the charges, the child should be removed from the home and legal action should be taken on the child's behalf.

In some cases, the parent or caregiver may deny the charges and move to another location, only to continue the behavior. Even if the child is returned to the perpetrator's custody while protective services are still involved, the child may continue to be a victim of abuse. For these reasons, it's always advised that these cases be resolved quickly.

What they don’t tell you is that 99% of the cases involving MBPS, Medical personal will NOT get involved. Women that have done their homework and know how to manipulate will also have a vast and extensive knowledge of law and or the legal system. Thus putting fear of lawsuits in front of physicians.

Anastasia has shown 100%  of the above symptoms. From her extensive work in the medical field: medical receptionist, filing clerk, records, physical therapy, and many more.

Her complete and complex personal history. Sexually and physically abused by her mother and father, both who suffer from multiple mental illnesses.  Depression, Mania, homicidal tendencies, hallucinations, hearing voices, schizophrenia. The list goes on.

Anastasia has had many jobs that indicate her MBPS. She shows great interest in not only the medical field, but the PTA, even going to great lengths in creating websites that are to benefit children and families in need. See: www.angelsonamission.org.  (Promoting her child’s needs and misfortunes and illnesses.)

 This, all from a woman who started at a very young age of drug abuse and trafficking to prostitution and exotic dancing. A criminal record one could count on their hands and feet. She has left a trail of disaster from Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland to only God knows where. During which time has been pregnant 14 times (all terminations) Abortions.

She is now presently raising her child with her gay partner Kim Logon in Pittsburgh, and continues to promote her child’s illnesses on myspace, facebook, twitter and several other websites. The Pennsylvania authorities have been continually made aware of her actions and do nothing to protect her child. Even scarier – promote her actions by assisting in the (so called illnesses by paying for unnecessary procedures).

Presently working in Crafton PA as a business team manager for DEP Technologies:

http://our.bbb.org/pittsburgh/Public/Reports/ReportLink.aspx?id=18004434&lnk=http%3a%2f%2fwww.deptechnologies.com

Anyone who has contact with Anastasia should consider themselves warned and try to help her child and remove the child from the environment immediately!