Munchausen by Proxy or Con Artist Mom?

Joni E. Johnston, Psy. D.
11 min readAug 7, 2021
Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard

From a forensic psychology perspective, the tragic story of Gypsy and Dee Blanchard (to be featured in an HBO documentary on May 15) is an extreme example of the ongoing tug of war between law and psychology. At age 18, for example, the legal system holds us individually responsible for what we do; psychology, on the other hand, argues that psychological captivity can be just as strong as imprisonment and the adverse…

--

--

Joni E. Johnston, Psy. D.

Forensic psychologist/private investigator//author of serial killer book. Passionate about victim’s rights, the psychology of true crime, and criminal justice.