In the account of 5/24/03 of the mom who is consuming 6 quarts of
water/day I thought of psychogenic polydipsia and did a quick search.
From the Diabetes Insipidus Foundation website:

Obsessive compulsive disorder and other psychiatric disorders sometimes
causes a form of primary polydipsia (excessive fluid intake) that causes
a type of DI that is difficult to distinguish from partial pituitary or
partial nephrogenic DI.  

What is the difference is between compulsive polydipsia and psychogenic
polydipsia? 

Patients with psychogenic polydipsia have severe psychoses such as
schizophrenia. Some physicians use the term compulsive polydipsia to
describe patients who they believe have primary polydipsia due to
neurosis or some other less severe form of mental illness. However, many
of these patients also complain of thirst and, in my view, are no
crazier than any of the rest of us. Therefore, I believe they also have
a thirst disorder (dipsogenic DI); I do not like or use the term
compulsive polydipsia.

The above information is inconclusive but perhaps sheds some light on
the multiple challenges facing this mom.

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