How do you deal with a hypochondriac?

Question

I suspect my mother in law is truly hypochondriac. She has had so many illnesses in the past year I would run out of fingers and toes to count them. I suspect many of them she truly doesn't feel well but isn't sick to the extent she says - the last one was pneumonia which I suspect was actually a cold.

If my husband and I don't give her sympathy for her illnesses she gets really upset and says we don't care about her. If we do give her sympathy she continues to complain about illnesses and it reinforces her belief she is actually sick.

I really need help on how to deal with it. I am sympathetic to mental illnesses as I have bipolar but I am really at a loss on how to deal with this.

Answer 1

It sounds really hard to deal with.  I have bipolar disorder also.  Can you ask your counsellor or therpaist how to deal with it?  If you have one that would be your best bet.

Answer 2

I have a friend like that. I just don't indulge her. At all, don't become a pawn in her little mind games. That much I know. Luckily for me this was only a friend and I slowly distanced myself from her. Does your husband collaborate this theory of yours? I assume he would know her better.