Mama/M.A.M.A. - Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Synopsis: The film questions the validity of Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy, arguing that in many cases doctors’ over-medication of infants and over-reliance on lab tests may be the real cause of the children’s illness rather than abuse by their mothers. It scrutinises the scientific research surrounding the allegation and, in so doing, questions the very diagnosis itself. The investigation found that the illnesses supposedly caused by over a hundred "Munchausen Mothers" were in fact the side effects of potentially toxic drugs -- drugs that were never approved for paediatric use. Also, by conducting an experiment with an astonishing result, it demonstrates that the use of laboratory tests as the sole evidence with which to convict a mother needs to be re-evaluated. Finally, the film traces the origins of the diagnosis and shows how no-one has questioned the dubious science that has led to twenty-five years of tearing mothers and their babies apart.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of release: 2008
Year of production: 2006
Subjects: Medical sciences; Psychiatry; Social welfare; Mental Health and Counselling
Keywords: infant mortality; medical diagnosis; mental disorders; Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Name: Cultureshop.org
Email: http://www.cultureshop.org/contactus.php?
Web: http://www.cultureshop.org/ External site opens in new window
Phone: 0117 942 7813
Address: 10/12 Picton Street
Bristol
BS6 5QA
Notes: An online distributor of independent videos and DVDs, aiming to bring the work of campaigning and video activist groups to a wider audience.

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