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Outlook: Caring for my mum and the secrets of her sickness

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Helen, aged around 3 with her mother. Both are smiling, on a day out

19/01/2022 GMT

Caring for my mum and the secrets of her sickness

BBC World Service - Outlook, Caring for my mum and the secrets of her sickness

After a lifetime of caring for her ill mother Helen Naylor began to ask was it all a lie?

Helen Naylor grew up caring for her mum who was mostly bed-bound. It dominated her life but as an adult she started to suspect all was not as it seemed and began to investigate.

After a lifetime of caring for her sick mother, Helen Naylor began to suspect that her mum had a very rare condition called Munchausen's Syndrome, a psychological disorder where according to the NHS, "someone pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves. Their main intention is to assume the "sick role" so that people care for them and they are the centre of attention." All through Helen's childhood her mother, Elinor, would stay in bed most of the time while Helen looked after her. Helen accepted that she would always be her mother's carer but after she died in 2016, Helen decided she needed to find out more about her mother and her own childhood so she started conducting her own investigation.

Helen has written a book called My Mother, Munchausen's and Me: a true story of betrayal and a shocking family secret.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Tom Harding Assinder and Rebecca Vincent 

(Photo: Helen Naylor and her mother Elinor. Credit: Helen Naylor)

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