[woodtick]

Chuck,
One of the symptoms of schizophrenia is delusions of grandeur, that's what might be the case with your mother in law if she thinks she is someone else. Schizophrenics have been known to claim to be Jesus Christ or the president. A bi-polar in a manic mode can have grandiose optimism and self-esteem which may lead to reckless investments and spending sprees but I don't believe it would be so far as believing he/she is someone else. Disorganized thinking, disturbed perceptions and inappropriate emotions and actions are tell tale signs of schizophrenia. There is a possibility she may have been diagnosed incorrectly. It sounds like there are possible signs of dementia in the mix as well. Schizophrenia usually hits just after adulthood and in women it is generally later than in men. Alzheimer's hits later in life but I have heard of people in their thirties with it that are almost incapacitated. She probably has something more serious than a mood disorder but I'm not one to make that determination. Either way I believe you are correct in the assumption that there is nothing you can do about it until she poses a threat. If she has one of the two disorders I mentioned and refuses treatment, she is a walking time bomb, eventually something is going to happen.

I feel your pain as I haven't talked to my mother in about twelve years. She has serious problems as well, it's not that uncommon. 1 out of every 100 people will develop schizophrenia for example and the numbers for Alzheimer's grow with age. It would be good to know what she has, often times it is genetic and if she has schizophrenia the odds of your fiancé having it are 1 in 10. Maybe you could talk her mother into seeing a psychiatrist somehow.

I have accepted the fact that there is essentially nothing I can do for my mother except prayers and hope I will be able to help her some day. It's probably best for me that I don't have to interact with my mother, it would be very difficult.

I hope I helped. Good luck.