The Courtroom Psychologist:
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May 2025
- May 1, 2025 Not Everyone You Dislike Is a Narcissist: The Misuse of Labels in the Courtroom
- May 1, 2025 Too Smart to Be Intellectually Disabled? Why Crime Scene Behavior Shouldn’t Determine Adaptive Functioning
- May 2, 2025 More Than the Crime Scene: How Forensic Psychology Informs Mitigation and Aggravation in Sentencing
- June 2025

Munchausen by Proxy in the Courtroom: Diagnosing Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another
Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), formerly known as Munchausen by Proxy, involves a caregiver fabricating or inducing illness in someone, usually a child, for attention. Forensic psychologists diagnose FDIA through interviews, medical record reviews, and psychological assessments. Victims often suffer long-term trauma, requiring therapy for recovery. Perpetrators face serious legal consequences, including charges of child abuse and medical fraud, though insanity defenses are rarely successful. Forensic psychologists provide crucial testimony, explaining the abuser’s motives and the impact on the victim to ensure justice.