> OCD and panic disorder are torture. Being in pain is not normal. Having a mental illness is not normal, and it is a defect to me. While everyone is imperfect, there are certain physical and mental characteristics and certain abilities I think we're supposed to be born with. But just because something's defective, doesn't mean it can't be fixed.

firstly, i reject the current diagnostic categories. i don't think that OCD or panic disorder name categories in nature anymore than witch or tree or grass or superlunary object name categories in nature. so i want to leave the categories out of it. what that takes us back to are the symptoms.

pain is indeed part of the human condition. people experience it to a greater or lesser extent... but pain isn't a symptom for those dx categories... so i guess i'm thinking that rather than the symptoms of your dx categories or rather than the dx categories... there are some things that you find really hard / struggle with.

what kinds of things.

i guess those are the things you would like to work on improving.

what does labelling those things the result of a 'defect' or 'malfunction' or whatever buy you?

health insurance.

what else? oh yeah... a view of yourself as defective... let me ask you a question: does considering yourself to be defective cause you pain?

how about other people viewing you as defective?