Personally, I don't think it's so clear-cut all of the time. Breaking down this distinction has helped me resolve a lot of the shame I have felt about how I responded to being abused. What I once saw as objectively unhealthy and abnormal, I can now see as coping the best way I could.

Like fallenangel, I really like getting away from words that dichotomize my experience. It helps me see myself in a more loving, balanced light. My counselor refers to me as someone with post-traumatic stress reactions, as opposed to post-traumatic stress disorder. This may seem minor, but I appreciate language that depathologizes me. I'm not crazy or weird or sick, and I like language that reflects that!