Fabricated and Induced Illnesses

Fabricated or induced illness (FII) is a rare form of child abuse. It happens when a parent or carer exaggerates or deliberately causes symptoms of illness in the child.

The parent or carer tries to convince doctors that the child is ill, or that their condition is worse than it really is.

The parent or carer does not necessarily intend to deceive doctors, but their behaviour is likely to harm the child. For example the child may have unnecessary treatment or tests, be made to believe they're ill, or have their education disrupted.

FII used to be known as "Munchausen's syndrome by proxy" (not to be confused with Munchausen's syndrome, where a person pretends to be ill or causes illness or injury to themselves).

See the Greater Manchester Safeguarding Children Procedures for guidance on how to recognise and respond to FII.

More details are on the NHS overview page.

The parent or carer is not always fully aware of the reasons for their own behaviour. A large number of parents or carers involved in FII have borderline personality disorders characterised by emotional instability, impulsiveness and disturbed thinking.

For more detailed information, please see the report on the prevalence of FII produced by a research unit at the University of Leeds.