The high-profile illness seeing Aussie parents wrongly accused of abuse
The Briefing2 Mar 2025

The high-profile illness seeing Aussie parents wrongly accused of abuse

Headlines: Europe is putting together a ‘coalition of the willing’ to stop the war in Ukraine, Israel blocks entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza, and Labor vows further spending on health while Coalition promises to bolster national security.

Deep Dive: Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy is an illness most of us have heard of, having been at the centre of some of the biggest movies, TV series and criminal cases of the decade.

But now the widespread awareness of “Factitious Disorder” is leading to innocent parents being wrongly accused of child medical abuse.

One expert, who’s dedicated decades to researching the misuse and misdiagnosis of the illness, says it’s not only leading to false allegations, but it’s being used as leverage in family custody disputes, as ammo for doctors accused of malpractice, and seeing children battling rare diseases left behind.

So how common is Factitious Disorder actually? And what impacts have high-profile stories like that of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard had on the amount of Aussies being wrongfully accused of hurting their kids?

On this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy speaks with Dr Helen Hayward-Brown, a medical anthropologist and sociologist who’s studied and assisted mums and dads across the globe who’ve been incorrectly accused of Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy, and all its other names, for the past 25 years.

Further listening from the headlines:
Trump wants to buy Greenland and annex Canada. Can he? is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Briefing:
TikTok: @listnrnewsroom
Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast
YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom
Facebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(2619)

‘Globalise the intifada’ banned + The dark world of looksmaxxing

‘Globalise the intifada’ banned + The dark world of looksmaxxing

Friday Headlines: More Aussies return from Middle East as thousands flee Beirut Hizb ut-Tahrir officially banned 'From the river to the sea' and 'globalise the intifada' outlawed in Queensland Numbe...

5 Mar 24min

The biggest travel disruption since COVID + Great Barrier Reef shark attack

The biggest travel disruption since COVID + Great Barrier Reef shark attack

The rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East is now sending shockwaves through global aviation, with major airspace closures and key international travel hubs suddenly out of action. So what doe...

5 Mar 12min

First Aussies back from Middle East + Inside the Kyle & Jackie no show

First Aussies back from Middle East + Inside the Kyle & Jackie no show

Thursday Headlines: First war-trapped Aussies arrive back home Attorney General pays back $8000 for family flights Inquiry launched into racism, hate and violence directed at Indigenous people Scorch...

4 Mar 22min

The thin line between empathy and harm + Senator urges Kyle Sandilands sacking

The thin line between empathy and harm + Senator urges Kyle Sandilands sacking

Women’s bodies are back in the headlines with Kelly Osbourne this week slamming online trolls for their cruel and dehumanising comments about her appearance at the BRIT Awards. So, is it ever ok to co...

4 Mar 16min

Dutton labelled ‘grim’ in secret review + Is high speed rail on track?

Dutton labelled ‘grim’ in secret review + Is high speed rail on track?

Wednesday Headlines: Oil and gas prices surge as the US and Israel’s war on Iran continues Australian girl dies in Japan after snowmobile accident Secret Liberal election loss review labels Dutton ‘...

3 Mar 21min

Hillary Clinton’s outburst + Why women earn so much less

Hillary Clinton’s outburst + Why women earn so much less

The latest Gender Pay Gap report has been released with a major wake-up call for some of our leading companies and organizations. While the gap is closing, there is still a need for massive improvemen...

3 Mar 14min

Albo targets secret lobby perk + What Iranians want you to know

Albo targets secret lobby perk + What Iranians want you to know

Tuesday Headlines: Trump says war with Iran could run for five or more weeks Little progress made in closing Australia’s gender pay gap Pauline Hanson censured, questioned over taxpayer-funded trave...

2 Mar 24min

PM Albanese’s problematic Iran response + Israel strike Hezbollah in Beirut

PM Albanese’s problematic Iran response + Israel strike Hezbollah in Beirut

Top international law experts are warning that the latest strikes by the US and Israel on Iran set a very dangerous precedent, especially for countries like Australia. In this episode of The Briefing...

2 Mar 18min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
i-retten
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
hanna-de-heldige
nokon-ma-ga
aftenbla-bla
bt-dokumentar-2
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk