Therese J. Borchard asks: Is Anyone Normal Today? I think her question is too limiting. I wonder if there ever has been a normal person?

Kendra Cherry: What Is Abnormal?

Abnormal psychology is the study of abnormal mental processes and behavior. Abnormal is defined as “not normal,” but this definition isn't sufficient in the field of psychology. For one thing, normal is a relative term. For instance, what you consider to be abnormal behavior may be considered normal by your neighbor. Society also has its own standards for normal. A mental health professional must be able to define abnormal behavior and then determine when abnormal behavior constitutes a mental disorder. Not an easy task. http://www.netplaces.com/psychology/...s-abnormal.htm

Dr. Grohol: “The point is simple — there is no ‘normal.’” Am I Normal?

Peter Kramer:

As the experience of mid-century shows, we can hold two forms of normality in mind—normal as free of defect, and normal as sharing the human condition, which always includes variation and vulnerability. We may be entering a similar period of dissociation, in which risk and pathology become separated from abnormality—or an era in which abnormality is universal and unremarkable.

We are used to the concept of medical shortcomings; we face disappointing realizations—that our triglyceride levels and our stress tolerance are not what we would wish. Normality may be a myth we have allowed ourselves to enjoy for decades, sacrificed now to the increasing recognition of differences. The awareness that we all bear flaws is humbling. But it could lead us to a new sense of inclusiveness and tolerance, recognition that imperfection is the condition of every life. What Is Normal? http://www.psychologytoday.com/artic...what-is-normal

Therese J. Borchard: “Why are there so many disorders today?” The proliferation of disorders is only part of the debate:

A few years ago, psychiatrist and bestselling author Peter Kramer penned an interesting article for Psychology Today rebutting the claims of popular authors — spawning a new genre of psychological literature — that doctors are abusing their diagnostic powers, labeling boyishness as “ADHD,” normal sadness and grief as “major depression,” and shyness as “social phobia.” Because of their rushed schedules and some laziness, doctors are narrowing the spectrum of normal human emotion, slapping a diagnosis on all conditions and medicating people who would be better served with a little coaching, direction, and psychotherapy.

As I explained in my piece, “Are We Overmedicating? Or Is Our Health Care System Inadequate?,” I believe the problem is far more complicated than overmedication. I’d be more comfortable labeling it “really bad health care.” And if I had to pick a culprit, I’d point my finger at our health care insurance policies, not the doctors themselves.

Borchard again: "Are doctors overmedicating? Or is it the system that sets doctors up for failure?"

Yes. Overmedication exists. But it’s just one causality of a much bigger problem: A poor health care system in the U.S. based on the earnings and profits of health insurance companies, giving the average doctor ten minutes to throw a solution at his patient. That’s our biggest problem to solve.

Health insurance companies share the onus with many others, e.g., Big Pharma, FDA, our purported representatives who depend on the deep pockets to stay in office, to name a few.

What is interesting to me is how often "normal" comes up in a discussion of wellness. How do you define "normal"? Can you list ten people you would describe as "normal"? How well do you know these people? What attributes distinguish them from others -- who you must, therefore, perceive as abnormal?