Leaving the Sick to the Sick?

Should mental illness like gaining the attention of others by being sick to gain attention or making yourself sick to gain attention be treated with attention?  We know that mental illness is an illness in a form of illness within itself. So then, what is the best treatment for this type of treatment for this type of illness? Is it nurturing our loved one or is it tough love? Kind of like how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? 1, 2, 3...crunch...perhaps the world may never know.

http://www.thebody.com/content/art30637.html