Legal Question in Family Law in Florida
I live with a man who has two children, a boy 9 and a girl 11. Their mother is a nurse (or I should say was a nurse, until recently). She is not in the IT field. The problem is that in the last 4 years, I have noticed that she makes up unusual diagnoses and illnesses on particularly the boy child. He has had many strange visits to the doctors and hospitals. My boyfriend listens to her, but is not starting to think that a lot of the allegations of illness are false. I have had a "gut feeling" for a long time that she may have a tendency toward Munchausen's disorder, and maybe by proxy, but I don't know how to prove this. It happens a few times a year and it is sad for the boy child because he looks up to his mother, so he accepts what she says to be true. Meanwhile, he is healthy and doesn't appear to be in any medical distress when he is with us. How do I address this issue without involving the Dept of Children and Families or law enforcement? I told my boyfriend to order all medical records pertaining to his care. Will will most likely do that in the very near future.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Yes that could be a huge problem and this person is a danger to the kids. It is now called Factitious Disorder DSM-5 300.19 (F68.10).
Please don't play games with this child's life. If you have a gut feeling, it is probably correct. Call DCF and get some help for this child.