[Mountaindewed]

Is there a mental disorder where you want cancer? This person I know really wants cancer for some reason. She has BPD and Binge eating disording. But she doesn’t actually have anything physically wrong. I know her personally, a lot of the pages she likes on Facebook are about childhood cancer and different hospitals that she’s never been to, and even hospitals that are out of state. I find her behavior odd. Why would you wish you had a serious and deadly disease when you are perfectly healthy? I know people who have died from cancer. It was terrible what they went through. It’s nothing to want.

[dannypk16]

It could be a need for attention from people, maybe that person doesn't want to have cancer, but wants the attention (s)he can get from having it. However, if this person really wants to have cancer, then (s)he could have depression, suicidal thoughts or similar, the thing is that there are lots of ways to die and I'm not able to know why would someone preffer dying from a cancer. I don't know this person so I can't really say much.

[Skeezyks]

Well... realistically I think it would take a psychologist or psychiatrist to figure out what's going on with your friend. I don't know anything about this myself. But I wonder if perhaps this might be classified as a type of "factitious disorder", one type of factitious disorder being Munchausen's Syndrome? (Just an uneducated guess.) I wasn't able to find much of anything in PC's archives on either of these conditions. But you can search them on Google or Bing.

[WishfulThinker66]

Sounds like Munchausen Syndrome:

"Munchausen syndrome is a factitious disorder, a mental disorder in which a person repeatedly and deliberately acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick. Munchausen syndrome is considered a mental illness because it is associated with severe emotional difficulties." - webmd

[MickeyCheeky]

I understand your concerns, Mountaindewed. I think WishfulThinker66 may be right. That may be the cause for her behavior. Or maybe it's a form of depression. The only way to know for sure is to go to a doctor and get a proper diagnosis. I'd talk to this person about this and see how it goes from there, if you haven't already. Make her understand that she may need some help to deal with this. Remember that you can only do so much to help. The final decision is up to her. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. Sending many hugs to you

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

I find her behavior odd. Why would you wish you had a serious and deadly disease when you are perfectly healthy? I know people who have died from cancer. It was terrible what they went through. It’s nothing to want.

When I was a kid I enjoyed death movies like "dying young". There was a romance to them.. the struggle of dying was so unusual in my world it fascinated me. Even puking seemed romantic.

She should intern at a cancer hospital to learn the reality. Once I met a few people with cancer that went out the window and I am unable to watch any movie that depicts cancer.

But at the moment if she isn't hurting anyone maybe just let it run its course?

[amandalouise]

we cant diagnose your friend only their treatment provider can do that so the part of your post about your friend I am going to pass on by, but your question in general is there a mental disorder that includes when someone wants to have a disease or mental disorder.... yes there is such a thing. its called

Fictitious Disorder Imposed on Self. this actually includes many different labels. short version its any time a person purposely sets out to cause their self to have a problem that they wouldnt normally have.

here is where you can read about it... Factitious Disorders | Cleveland Clinic

please remember that there is more to diagnosing a person then reading something online, only your friends doctors can diagnose and treat your friend.