Is there a MH condition where you unconsciously take on other people's illnesses, issues etc?

[bloomflower]

I've seen about Munchausens, but not sure if it fits in this case.

Family relative has been diagnosed with bipolar for a good few years now, and I am not sure if this is part of this, but recently has been basically taking on all the family's illnesses, mannerisms etc e.g. sight issues (feels like they are copying father), stomach issues (copying mother), MH issues where she throws perfectly good expensive things in the bin (like her learning disabled sister did), lying about things like another family member etc.

This person is 100% convinced of their own illnesses to the point that they are being investigated by hospitals (and are showing a load of symptoms too e.g. unexplained weight loss).

But I just wonder if it is part of their bipolar condition or another related issue? They have been really ill for about a year now, with what seems to be psychosis or something like it, at least some of the time. I'm not sure if tied in with that or if it's something completely different.

Currently undergoing all sorts of investigations, support of MH team etc. But also has always been prone to believing in sympathetic illness too.

Curious if anyone else knows about this kind of thing and if it has a name? Thanks!

It doesn't sound like a 'condition' but rather a list of behaviours, better left to the mental health team to explore instead of letting people on here come up with a range of 'conditions' or diagnoses!

Well bipolor is likely caused by childhood trauma. Trauma can also cause a hyperawareness to other people's emotions and I guess illnessestheb it seems like she could be mixing up what's her stuff and what's theirs.

I would suggest that, as they have observed family members receiving kind and understanding treatment for these problems, that they hope they will receive the same if they exhibit the same symptoms.

It is impossible to untangle what could be physical and what could be mental health without the doctors doing the investigations. Many illnesses have a genetic component, so your relative could have inherited both sight and stomach issues from their parents.

The tossing items in the bin is probably MH related and it’s interesting you mention psychosis. Perhaps they have something else in addition to bipolar that is affecting them. Lots of MH conditions cause bizarre behaviour so it may not be copying per se.

Hypochondria

Factitious Disorder?

This is interesting!

www.promises.com/addiction-blog/what-is-the-difference-between-malingering-and-factitious-disorder/

I’m sure there was a house episode about something like this, or Greys Anatomy, one of those sorts of shows.

Look up somatoform disorder too

Google tells me it’s called Mirroring and seems to be connected with BPD

Some conditions can be hereditary. So don't dismiss her as it all being in her head just yet.

it's not a behaviour I recognise from working with people with BPD but you have described something that is very like someone presenting with Munchausen's which can be linked to trauma or a personality disorder. However, its more than possible for multiple conditions to present at the same time or for the bipolar itself to have been a misdiagnosis. Mirroring can be associated with people who are over-empathic or hypersensitive (eg.people with autism can feel other people's issues as their own) or with people who struggle with their sense of self...and somebody experiencing psychosis might fall into this category. If the family member has been in psychiatric care/hospital etc they will often be around other individuals showing disturbed behaviour and it can be a traumatising experience in itself , never mind the journey they have to go through if their BPD isn't well-controlled. Still really important to get physical illnesses excluded, people with mental health issues often receive poor physical care and missed diagnosis of serious conditions because of people's perceptions and bias of how they are presenting.