A Cultural Thing

I’ve been trying to get as much information from family while investigating my own MSBP situation and came across what I would say so far is the biggest breakthrough for me. Someone explained to me in our “culture” (I don’t know what other term to use) Munchausen Syndrome and Munchausen by Proxy is a wide spread problem. Where I am from they are practically still in the 70's and completely out of touch with the rest of the world. Parents were well known to make their weakest or youngest child sick or make believe they were not all there or make them mentally younger than they are by treating them as a literal toddler their whole lives in order to keep a victim home to take care of them when they were older. The more I dig I realize that person was absolutely right. I remember other family members or friends and their families and it hit me like a brick that this is not only a thing but seems to be encouraged as well. One person told me that their family was pushing for them to make their weakest sick because they could not go to school. This was a long time ago so there was really no help for mentally disabled children. Instead thankfully when the child was old enough their strength was found and sent to work. That child’s parent refused to be part of the stigma in this place. Another had Munchausen Syndrome and beat and medically abused their child that now as an adult is incapable of having a normal life and also now has Munchausen. I have noticed all the older family members of my own or friends and always noticed that one incompetent or failure to launch child, grandchild, or other relative always there taking care of their parents and something always struck me as creepy and now as an adult I am figuring out why. When I went into this I thought it was rare but not where I am from. It is not only normal it is seen as honor to be “chosen" for this abuse. I was told that when I tried going to someone about my abuse, I should feel special for being lucky enough to have that much love put on me. I am now obviously going to therapy and trying to find some sort of life saver. I’ve since left the place with my family to break the cycle. Just to think that there is a whole place where this is actually seen as a good thing makes my skin crawl. I don’t even know where to begin helping others heal when they don’t even see it as a problem.

Without knowing where you are and without much more detail all I can say is that as this is an international forum we have seen over many years child abuse which mirrors what you are talking about. MBP when looking at it deeply is actually split across a range of things, but that cultural abuse regarding the child who is destined to be carer, is very sad indeed.