Julie Gregory

Julie Joell Gregory (born May 16, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio) is the author of Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood, an autobiographical account of the Münchausen syndrome by proxy abuse she alleges she suffered as a child.

Personal history

According to Sickened, Gregory's mother frequently took her to various doctors, coaching her to act sicker than she was and exaggerating her symptoms, and demanding increasingly invasive procedures to diagnose the girl's imaginary illnesses. At home, her mother fed Gregory a diet based on foods a doctor had said Gregory shouldn't have, administered prescription medicine erratically, sometimes in double doses, and filled her days with strenuous physical labor. According to Gregory, her mother even became upset when one doctor wouldn't perform open heart surgery on her daughter. Also, in the book, Gregory mentions being told by her mother that matches were suckers to eat.

When Gregory finally realized what her mother was doing to her, she attempted to tell several people about the situation, but those she told either expressed disbelief or paid no attention. Only upon telling her work counselor, a professional bound to disclose allegations of abuse to authorities, was the abusive behavior of her parents finally realized by others.