What is the line between sane and insane?

Are people who think of suicide, self harm. insane? People who have beliefs about their unworthiness, badness, that others don't have about them, are they insane?

I always wondered how many %s of people want to die sometimes. I think it is quite high actually.

It is pretty high is places like America, so for example the US...I think...Their not insane, they are just people who are struggling with something, why do you ask the question?

I ask because I wonder about myself. Have struggled with depression, PTSD, for many years. Grew up in very emotionally empty/ neglective/ abusive environment. Married into abusive emotionally.physically,sexually relationship of 17 years, been in therapy for 20+ years. still struggling.... Wonder where the line is drawn between sanity and insanity. My life would change much either way. Still have to do my best for my children and grandchildren, just can't help wondering...

why not embrace your insanity and become comfortable with it? Or at least at peace.

Thoughts are thoughts... they happen. Are they comfortable? Of course not... they can be bothersome and terrifying (while at the same time oddly attractive... but the point is... one still can gain control over them and learn not to obsess over them.

you have troubled past... it is natural it will haunt you... it is up to you how you deal with it... normal does not exist anyways... what is sane in this screwed up world? Those who don't fit in DSM? I think many would fit there quite well...

rather than obsess with sane:insane... learn to be comfortable in your skin.

I don't really like that word...insane. It seems most people use it to describe someone who is completely out of touch with reality. Or to describe someone with a total lack of regard for others. You do not come close to matching either of those definitions.
Read the two lines in VenusHalley's signature. Sanity could be a subjective concept. It could be just the ability to function in a somewhat crazy world.

I think the more technical terms you might be looking for are "neurotic" and "psychotic". Neuroses would be things like mood issues, anxiety, fears, issues with our mothers, etc. Psychosis is losing touch with reality (paranoia, delusions)or, even if you're aware that they're not real, hallucinations. I agree with Mike, you don't sound like you would fit the category of "insane" at all. And "sanity" can certainly be subjective. But I hope looking at it in terms of technical definitions helps ease your mind a bit.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...on-insanity-is

Hi nannypat,

As a person who also struggles with PTSD and very similar circumstances as you, no, your not insane. What you experienced is real and like me you are probably shaking you head in disbelief and even wondering why you had to deal with it and seem to have to still deal with it, even if you don't want to.

I think about Venus's quote alot actually. Most of the time I have a problem understanding what others do and how they behave and even seem so very matter of fact about just dealing with the past. If only it were that easy for PTSD victims. I was very surprized at learning that I have probably battled with PTSD most of my life, so there you go, we don't really forget, even when we try. We are like living computers that retain and when something happens again to remind us of how others can be thoughtless with little conscience we remember our past. Thoughts, feelings, and unwanted memories that just don't want to go away.

I have a feeling that most vitims of PTSD really have a hard time understanding why someone would victimize them the way it happened. I think that there often is no logic to it and often many victims are nice people who do have a great sense of conscience and are sensitive to others. Unfortunately many people are very self absorbed and are not sympathetic. But PTSD vicitms are very sensitive. There is the sense of insanity. As we struggle where others just continue on, well, we see that as a weakness and have trouble understanding why we cant just ignore it and move on and it does make us angry and if enough bad things happen we have bad thoughts and we have trouble with that too.

I have a feeling that someday they will really be able to see how a brain is effected by trama, especailly prolonged trama and a sort of entrapment of repeated trauma.

Now as Byz says, you do know right from wrong to that is not it. You have difficulty understanding others that either dont know or care to know, or do know but treat others badly anyway. Nanny the only thing you can do is keep trying to ground yourself, take care of yourself and not let others upset you by their actions and even that they don't understand. The fact that others do not understand and may not even care to understand is troubling, but not insanity. The discomfort is within our own brain and it is troublesome and takes extra effort to work out.

And if you get to feeling that you are alone, I am here, trying too and so are others.
Until we see what really happens to our brain from years of being exposed to behaviors that harm us, or effect us, we just have to be patient. The only thing we can really do is one day at a time, and try to think about the moment verses the overall picture that can be so overwhelming. Just know your not imagining it, it truely is as described in the quote that Venus has chosen. Nanny, you are just a good person who suffered unfairly, cant blame you for being angry.

No, you can't change society as a whole or even understand it many times. But, you can work on you and how you can get through each day and try to at the very least find some pleasurable moments you can enjoy.

Open Eyes

I just wanted to add something about PTSD victims. I have myself tried very hard to figure out the different triggers I have, have had for many years being psychologically abused in many different ways. I was angry by not being able to control these triggers, one of them was the sound of a door, as I had run through them, hid behind them, locks were important and so on. I really had no idea that the sounds of doors triggered me until I experienced a flashback that showed the doors and the sound and how many. It was really very odd, and I could not understand how I didn't consciously know this.

I have purposely revisited many of the actual doors, I stood and slammed a door and told myself not now, its ok, just a door. But if I am asleep,if a door can be heard, I still jump with heart pounding. I HATE THAT, and it makes me very angry, that I cannot seem to consciously correct this trigger. And the fact that others cannot understand this, including many therapists is very troublesome to me. This is what makes us feel a sort of insanity, though we do know right from wrong. Obviously something is hardwired in our brains and we cannot just think it away. I HATE THAT THOUGHT TOO. So, nanny our sanity is just knowing that we are not alone, I hear you nanny, we are not insane but we do struggle.

Open Eyes

Thank you so much. You have given me much to think about. It will take me some time to digest it all in the state that I am in but I thank you for putting so much time into your response. It means a lot to mean right now. Thanks again.