New toys to give children early training in trendy psychosis? Friday, October 31, 2003 Posted: 11:56 PM EST (0456 GMT) Exclusive News Story! SAN FRANCISCO ( YER.US) -- During this morning's cartoons on Nickelodeon, I couldn't help but notice yet another disturbing toy targeted at young children. Last week the decapitated Barbie heads caught my attention. For those who missed my column, the decapitated Barbie head is a life sized Barbie head and shoulders called "Barbie Stylin Head with Batteries Giftset"  According to the manufacturer, when girls press the heart-shaped jewel pin mounted on the cleavage of the stylin' head, the doll will say one of 12 phrases. Some phrases include "Let's put on my crown" and "Can you put on my eye shadow?" Calls to the manufacturer to find out if the phrases include "Help, I can't feel my body" were not returned by press time. The kit comes with fun color-change makeup and over 20 accessory pieces that girls can use on the styling head or wear themselves. Presumably the toy also comes with bathing instructions. Fortunately this toy can only be shipped within the U.S. - at least other countries are smart enough to not allow us to export this to them. Now, I could understand a Commander Data head in a box, he was loosing his head in several episodes of Star Trek. But a decapitated Barbie head? Don't these toy company executives understand the number of children who are traumatized by things as simple as which end of the Easter Bunny chocolate to eat first? Many children spend a lot of time trying to decide should they first eat the head of an Easter bunny chocolate, putting it out of it's mystery, or should they first eat the body and have that cute little bunny face staring at them until the very end? What if it is too big of a piece of chocolate to eat in one day? A small child could face days of being traumatized by such a "gift". I was not alone in my concern about the decapitated Barbie head. Several readers wrote in wondering where they could order the discarded Barbie torsos from. I have forwarded their messages to mental health colleagues in their respective locales so that they can get assistance with their requests.. But today's toy really caused me to wonder what kind of a vacuum these toy company executives live in. Check out these toys:   Mommy's Little Patient Here is the description of the toy: ----- ----- It might be one thing if these were trying to teach young girls how to be doctors in the future. But there is a hidden danger in these toys, especially when you consider that these are marketed as if they are to be the young girls child, as in "Mommie's little patient". I wonder if I would be the only psychologist wondering if these dolls are a training device for teaching Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome?  Book Description
Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS), a form of child abuse in which a primary carer - usually a mother - fabricates and//or induces illness in a child, is one of the least understood forms of child abuse and mental illness. Examining the current knowledge about the manifestations and consequences of this perplexing behaviour, this book assists all professionals working with chronically ill children in identifying and intervening with this bizarre and often deadly form of abuse. Drawing from their firsthand experience with the complexities of such cases, the editors and contributors address critical issues of not only identification and assessment but also long-term psychotherapy. Therapy with the mother//perpetrator has traditionally been markedly unsuccessful, but this book provides a much-needed framework for the successful treatment of acknowledged perpetrators. Emphasizing the important role of efficient multidisciplinary cooperation in handling MBPS cases, Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome also features perspectives from experts in the fields of medicine, child protection, education, social work, hospital administration and law. Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome demystifies the mother//perpetrator's deception and gives professionals the knowledge to save children from induced life-threatening illnesses and consequent medical procedures. Professionals, academics, researchers, and students in a variety of fields, including clinical and counselling psychology, social work, nursing//health sciences, criminal justice, and law, will need the information presented in this book to help stop this form of abuse.
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