I'd say the vast majority of people I know would fall into the "normal" category--meaning no mental illness or serious physical illness. It isn't that their lives are without problems; it is that their perception of events isn't screwed up by irrational thinking or dysregulated emotional states that are generally what make life such a struggle for those with MI. They are able to pull support from others, from their spirituality, from within themselves to make it through some truly horrible life circumstances without completely losing it.

I have some dear "normal" friends who have gone through absolute hell in the last two years. They've lost both parents; one family member was struck by a car and had to have his leg amputated; another had very premature twins, one which died within hours of birth, the other in the NICU for months, all this after several years of serious infertility battles and complications; their husband died in his sleep from a sudden, massive heart attack. I don't know any single family that has suffered so much stress and grief all within such a short period of time recently. But, they have managed through all of this with great strength, resilience, faith, and support from family and friends. Did they go through times of anxiety and depression? Of course, but they reached into their own resources and found ways to cope healthily and manage through it all. They are finally coming out on the other side (we hope no more tragedy hits this family).

Healthy individuals are able to manage crises that do arise in healthy ways, get through them in time, and move forward. Those of us dealing with MI tend to get bogged down in the symptoms of our illness that make coping seem so impossible.