Hypochondria!!?
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My uncle is a hyochondriac and from talking to my cousins, living with him is complete hell. He is constantly claiming to be sick all the time. Hypochondriasis is a "preoccupation with fears of having, or the idea that one has, a serious disease based on a misinterpretation of one or more bodily signs or symptoms," according to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In other words, people misread the signals from their bodies and truly believe they have serious illnesses or diseases.
It's important to understand that Aunt Sarah isn't purposely faking her symptoms to get attention or avoid responsibility. And she's not just a complainer. She's convinced that something is terribly wrong, despite doctors' reassurances and the lack of medical evidence.
People with hypochondriasis experience symptoms, such as stomachaches or chest pains, and immediately jump to worse-case scenarios. A stomachache isn't a 24-hour bug; it's stomach cancer. Chest pains aren't heartburn; they're signs of a heart attack. Hypochondriacs think they have the least likely, but most dangerous, illness or disease.
Maybe she has a butt fetish?
Sounds like my family. We're having a family reunion next weekend and I'm sure everyone's going to talk about their health problems; real and imagined.
We have one of those in our family to, Its quite entertaining really to see whats going to be wrong next.
My grandma is the same. I think she takes like 6 placebos a day. I think it's half attention, half accelerated fear.
Sometimes it can be for attention, but whatever it is there's usually some kind of underlying mental issue. I am a hypochondriac and get convinced that every little hiccup I have or people who I love have is cancer; however, I know that this is because I have seen a lot of family members die young from cancer. It may look like your mom is attention-seeking but she may simply be scared that something serious may happen in those 10 years and fear that by the time she has her next colonoscopy it will be too late. If she is attention-seeking though, you have to think, what makes her like this - why does she want this attention from other people? It's worth having a chat to her about it.
No it's not for the attention. It's more classified as a form of OCD. I am the same way. I always think I have cancer. I sit there for hours a day wondering what type of cancer I either have or will soon get. I worry myself into panic attacks about how hard it will be to say good bye to my husband, kids and mother. I worry myself into panic attacks. It's really bad. I've been on many different medications to try to control it, but I've had no success. It's something I live with. But on the contrary I'm deathly afraid of doctors and will not go.
You're mom is not suffering from Hypochondria it sounds more like a different type of psychiatric syndrome. I can't remember the name right now. I will find out and let you know.
She may well have grown up in a family where the only time she got attention is when she didn't feel well. She obviously gets something positive from being unwell - attention, sympathy, getting out of work or unpleasant duties, an excuse for whatever she needs.
Of course, when you go to the doctor you get his undivided attention for the course of the appointment. It can be very appealing if you don't routinely get attention for yourself.
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