Information about Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy:
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) is a mental health problem in which a caregiver, most commonly a mother, causes an illness or injury to a person, most commonly their child, that is in their care. Although some cases have been reported of other caregiver/victim relationships, such as the elderly or disabled, a mother and child relationship is the most common with MSBP. The caregiver with MSBP may lie about symptoms, physically harm to produce symptoms, or change test results to make a child appear more ill than they are. Children who are victims of caregivers with MSBP often become seriously ill, injured, endure painful medical procedures they didn’t need, or even die at the hands of their caregiver. Caregivers with MSBP often feel their life is out of control, have poor self-esteem, and struggle with dealing with stress and anxiety. Attention received by the victim, doctors, nurses, and others in the community, such as neighbors lending a helping hand, may encourage the caregiver with MSBP’s behavior. Treatment involves child protective services, law enforcement, doctors, and long-term counseling for the caregiver with MSBP, though they may deny a problem or resist treatment.
If you suspect a child is the victim of MSBP, don’t confront the suspected caregiver. If you feel the information is unsafe to take home, see if a trusted friend can keep the information for you. Be careful with your online activity that may be seen by others, and avoid personal computers or devices to read on the topic on any device that you feel may be unsafe. Keep a journal of child’s symptoms and other related events, and talk with your doctor about your concerns. Reporting your concerns to a local child welfare agency is also an option, and you can make a report without using your name.
Why I Chose Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy:
I decided to choose Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) because after first hearing about it, I can't seem to learn enough about it! It's something that is highly fascinating for me, and I often find myself thinking about various situations where MSBP can show itself. I have also found that many people don't know about MSBP, and that when people find out the details about it, they realize just how dangerous of a situation this can become for people who are under the care of another. I feel that MSBP is something that more people should be made aware of in order to help keep others safe in life.
The Birthing of the Monster:
Despite really being interested in turning this one into a monster, I had absolutely no vision while going into this month on how I would begin designing this monster. I just knew I wanted it to come across as unsettling as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) itself. Unsure of where to start, I decided to start by jotting down keywords and phrases first rather than starting to sketch right away, and I found that this helped me tremendously. I began to think about the emotional aspect of things; what emotions did the person with MSBP experience that causes them to act this way? After making a list of emotions they would feel, I then wanted to make a list of emotions that the monster would feel if it were to be the one manipulating a person to act the way that they did. This helped me get a feeling of how I wanted the piece to come across as a whole, and figure out the expression that would be on the monsters face.
I then thought about the body of the monster, and how I wanted to have it in a caretaker role, much like MSBP itself. I thought about various roles in which nursing outfits had came across as unsettling (Silent Hill, for example), and wanted to take inspiration from those character designs to try and create an unsettling appearance for my monster. I used those references to design the nursing outfit for my monster, as well as try to keep it clean and tidy, despite the monster being very unsettling.
All of this words and arrows were created on a digital document to save paper, and was also where I did a few sketches for sampling various ideas and where I mapped out the concept for the face. After being pretty satisfied with the outcome of the design elements for the monster, I then went into my sketchbook and started piecing various concepts together to create a sketch that I enjoyed. I then traced the sketch with my light box onto the final 140lbs Canson XL Watercolor paper, and used india ink and a dip pen to create the black linework. I went in afterwards with my Sakura Koi Watercolors as well as some other green pan watercolors that I have, though I do not remember the brand. I wasn’t as pleased with the coverage of these pans, and found they had a tendency to come out very grainy, but it was still good enough pigments to continue using through the entire piece. I finished off the piece with some final details and touching up the black outlines with Sakura Micron Pens.
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) is a mental health problem in which a caregiver, most commonly a mother, causes an illness or injury to a person, most commonly their child, that is in their care. Although some cases have been reported of other caregiver/victim relationships, such as the elderly or disabled, a mother and child relationship is the most common with MSBP. The caregiver with MSBP may lie about symptoms, physically harm to produce symptoms, or change test results to make a child appear more ill than they are. Children who are victims of caregivers with MSBP often become seriously ill, injured, endure painful medical procedures they didn’t need, or even die at the hands of their caregiver. Caregivers with MSBP often feel their life is out of control, have poor self-esteem, and struggle with dealing with stress and anxiety. Attention received by the victim, doctors, nurses, and others in the community, such as neighbors lending a helping hand, may encourage the caregiver with MSBP’s behavior. Treatment involves child protective services, law enforcement, doctors, and long-term counseling for the caregiver with MSBP, though they may deny a problem or resist treatment.
If you suspect a child is the victim of MSBP, don’t confront the suspected caregiver. If you feel the information is unsafe to take home, see if a trusted friend can keep the information for you. Be careful with your online activity that may be seen by others, and avoid personal computers or devices to read on the topic on any device that you feel may be unsafe. Keep a journal of child’s symptoms and other related events, and talk with your doctor about your concerns. Reporting your concerns to a local child welfare agency is also an option, and you can make a report without using your name.
Why I Chose Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy:
I decided to choose Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) because after first hearing about it, I can't seem to learn enough about it! It's something that is highly fascinating for me, and I often find myself thinking about various situations where MSBP can show itself. I have also found that many people don't know about MSBP, and that when people find out the details about it, they realize just how dangerous of a situation this can become for people who are under the care of another. I feel that MSBP is something that more people should be made aware of in order to help keep others safe in life.
The Birthing of the Monster:
Despite really being interested in turning this one into a monster, I had absolutely no vision while going into this month on how I would begin designing this monster. I just knew I wanted it to come across as unsettling as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) itself. Unsure of where to start, I decided to start by jotting down keywords and phrases first rather than starting to sketch right away, and I found that this helped me tremendously. I began to think about the emotional aspect of things; what emotions did the person with MSBP experience that causes them to act this way? After making a list of emotions they would feel, I then wanted to make a list of emotions that the monster would feel if it were to be the one manipulating a person to act the way that they did. This helped me get a feeling of how I wanted the piece to come across as a whole, and figure out the expression that would be on the monsters face.
I then thought about the body of the monster, and how I wanted to have it in a caretaker role, much like MSBP itself. I thought about various roles in which nursing outfits had came across as unsettling (Silent Hill, for example), and wanted to take inspiration from those character designs to try and create an unsettling appearance for my monster. I used those references to design the nursing outfit for my monster, as well as try to keep it clean and tidy, despite the monster being very unsettling.
All of this words and arrows were created on a digital document to save paper, and was also where I did a few sketches for sampling various ideas and where I mapped out the concept for the face. After being pretty satisfied with the outcome of the design elements for the monster, I then went into my sketchbook and started piecing various concepts together to create a sketch that I enjoyed. I then traced the sketch with my light box onto the final 140lbs Canson XL Watercolor paper, and used india ink and a dip pen to create the black linework. I went in afterwards with my Sakura Koi Watercolors as well as some other green pan watercolors that I have, though I do not remember the brand. I wasn’t as pleased with the coverage of these pans, and found they had a tendency to come out very grainy, but it was still good enough pigments to continue using through the entire piece. I finished off the piece with some final details and touching up the black outlines with Sakura Micron Pens.