The documentary told the story of several families in the United States and overseas that have been battling the legal accusation of munchasen syndrome byproxy. Unfortunately, the film focused exclusively on denying that MSB is even a real disorder. They used cases that showed the dangers of a pharmaceutical drug, cisapride, which resulted in the doctors accusing the mother of MSB. The film displayed the true dangers of this pharmaceutical drug that has been banned after 2000, but it went into a further odd direction of claiming MSB is a hoax. I wish they would have focused on the dangers of this drug as the reason for this documentary instead of creating a conspiracy against MSB which is a real and documented diagnosis. This film had some real potential but missed the mark.
7 Reviews
Not much of a documentary, Very Biased
Johnny_Young27 August 2020
Opens with the harrowing tale of a woman who's new born child is removed by Child Protective Services at birth. Distressing right?
Even more distressing when you find out this mother had been abusing her other infant children and is accused of injecting them with insulin....
You get a quick brush over on this by the accused Mother and tearful accounts of being wrongfully accused by the family and little to no mention of medical records and other evidence.
Turned it off after about 20 mins as it was clear it was only interested in portraying these families as wrongfully accused victims and presented very little findings or evidence from Doctors or court cases.
Wildly Biased Opinion Piece
FilmFanaticdotorg7 September 2006
After reading Julie Gregory's excellent autobiography "Sickened" (2004), about her experiences growing up with a Munchhausen by Proxy mother, I was eager to rent a documentary and learn more about this strange form of child abuse. Unfortunately, Nonny de la Peña's "Mama/M.A.M.A." is an extended opinion piece rather than a balanced work of reporting, choosing to focus exclusively on a trio of mothers who may or may not have been wrongly accused.
While these stories are important to tell--and I suspect that at least one of the three women WAS wrongly accused--it's evident that the filmmaker doesn't believe MbP exists at all. In attempting to show how a very real phenomenon can feed into moral panic and promote false accusations, de la Peña eventually goes to the other extreme--denying that the phenomenon exists at all. By the end of this film, you'll feel frustrated and a bit misled.
While these stories are important to tell--and I suspect that at least one of the three women WAS wrongly accused--it's evident that the filmmaker doesn't believe MbP exists at all. In attempting to show how a very real phenomenon can feed into moral panic and promote false accusations, de la Peña eventually goes to the other extreme--denying that the phenomenon exists at all. By the end of this film, you'll feel frustrated and a bit misled.
Biased and unconvincing
mochuck25 August 2007
I watched this documentary on TV. Like a previous commenter I had read Julie Gregory's autobiography and was hoping to gain some insight into the motivation of the perpetrators of this disease. But what I found was a biased opinion piece claiming that the disorder doesn't even exist.
Of the 3 families followed, one mother was legally exonerated but I wasn't entirely convinced of her innocence. She may have been innocent of MBP but there was definitely something not right.
Who goes to a mortuary and picks up organs in a plastic bag removed at autopsy and then holds a second funeral for a liver, heart and whatever? A very disturbed person, thats who.
If your child was having a convulsion would you: a) Take them to the doctor b) Call an ambulance c) Video it with a running commentary of other non apparent symptoms to convince the medical fraternity that your child had a real illness.
Guess what the mother in this documentary did.
Julie Gregory's account states that when she had an appointment with a specialist her mother would give her special 'medicine' to convince the doctors that she was really sick.
The reason that a large percentage of MBP children who were on Proplulsid when they died is because the easiest may to make a child sick is to induce vomiting. Propulsid was given for gastric reflux. Propulsid was not taken off the market because of tardic dyskinesia but prolonged QT syndrome. The fact that MBP children on Propulsid had severe tardic dyskinesia only indicates to me that they were being overdosed. Yet these MBP mothers have latched on to the Propulsid market withdrawal as a vindication - it is not.
Of the 3 families followed, one mother was legally exonerated but I wasn't entirely convinced of her innocence. She may have been innocent of MBP but there was definitely something not right.
Who goes to a mortuary and picks up organs in a plastic bag removed at autopsy and then holds a second funeral for a liver, heart and whatever? A very disturbed person, thats who.
If your child was having a convulsion would you: a) Take them to the doctor b) Call an ambulance c) Video it with a running commentary of other non apparent symptoms to convince the medical fraternity that your child had a real illness.
Guess what the mother in this documentary did.
Julie Gregory's account states that when she had an appointment with a specialist her mother would give her special 'medicine' to convince the doctors that she was really sick.
The reason that a large percentage of MBP children who were on Proplulsid when they died is because the easiest may to make a child sick is to induce vomiting. Propulsid was given for gastric reflux. Propulsid was not taken off the market because of tardic dyskinesia but prolonged QT syndrome. The fact that MBP children on Propulsid had severe tardic dyskinesia only indicates to me that they were being overdosed. Yet these MBP mothers have latched on to the Propulsid market withdrawal as a vindication - it is not.
Watched 15 mins and turned it off.
laurhartwick14 August 2019
important film
boowho-2641715 July 2019
It is horrific to learn that anti psychotic drugs were administered by health professionals to infant babies for gastrointestinal problems. Talk about child abuse. The implied collusion between the doctors and the pharmaceutical companies is an abomination in the field of medicine. One is left to wonder how many other drugs are being misused and improperly prescribed by doctors who lack integrity and even less morality.
MSP needs to be exposed to greater scrutiny by non-affiliated parties before allegations are considered. It's conclusions are as life changing as a death sentence. Such power and authority must be given to a wider spectrum of non-affiliated legal, science and medical professionals. A doctor may be called upon to give evidence, but not as final authority.
MSP needs to be exposed to greater scrutiny by non-affiliated parties before allegations are considered. It's conclusions are as life changing as a death sentence. Such power and authority must be given to a wider spectrum of non-affiliated legal, science and medical professionals. A doctor may be called upon to give evidence, but not as final authority.
Disturbing, interesting, biased
jfritz198212 July 2006
This was an extremely interesting movie that follows the story of 3 families in which the mother has been accused of Münchhausen syndrome by proxy. This is a disorder in which the mother purposefully makes her child sick in some way and by doing this receives praise and attention for caring for a very sick child. The three women in the movie are allowed to tell their stories and how their lives have been torn apart by the accusations. We also get to see many of the world's leading "authorities" on the disorder. The movie is very enthralling and may even make you angry.
Like most documentaries the filmmakers had a point of view going in and they only showed things that supported their point of view. However this did not overwhelmingly take away from the movie...it was still very interesting.
Like most documentaries the filmmakers had a point of view going in and they only showed things that supported their point of view. However this did not overwhelmingly take away from the movie...it was still very interesting.
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