How do you distinguish ?

<font color="purple"> Between being dysfunctional/**** in the head/societal misfit or call it what you will and being genuinely mentally ill?

If i'm honest i'm not 'normal' though it requires certain things to make that overtly evident especially stress.It hard for me to stay balanced and rational when i'm stressed. However whether i am not normal due to being a dysfunctional freak or mentally ill is something that constantly perplexes me.
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You can call mental illness many different things, and it can have a variety of causes. There may be a genetic predisposition to certain kinds of dysfunction, that some people have the resilience (learned and/or genetic) to overcome, while others need more help. Stress brings out anything that you may be struggling with, and makes it harder to cope. If you have concerns that interfere with your ability to live your life in a satisfactory way, then I would encourage you to talk to a therapist about it. It doesn't so much matter what they call it, but if you are having trouble there will be a category somewhere in the DSM-IV that will fit close enough (if you have to have a diagnosis to get help), and you can probably benefit from talking to someone about your concerns.

One thing I figured out in my late 20's/early 30's (about sexual encounters :-) was that I had all the right "equipment" and it all worked the way it was supposed to and that led me to realize that the "problems" I had were "educational." I could get more interpersonal experience so I wasn't as unsure/afraid and I could learn how to interact better with therapy, etc.

I think I make that distinction; there are lots of things that one can do one's self through experience and education to make one better so those sorts of problems are just "dysfunctional" problems whereas things that time/experience/therapy etc. can't help are genuine "illness".

What you ask is impossible, I think. Because there is no real division between body and mind, no mutually exclusivity.

I find it helpful to realize that we are seamlessly intertwined mind and body, rather than to try and find out what is at 'fault' for some 'dysfunction' we have determined about ourselves.

I personally would choose the term of mental unwellness rather than mental illness, for even depression is a medical disorder, yet we all know how it affects us emotionally.

What matters is that you realize something can become better for you, about you, and proceed to improve. (((hugs)))

Hi teejai, I think there is a continuum when it comes to mental health. I have days where I am almost "normal" but then I have my scary days where I seem to be off my rocker. Maybe, in the long run, it does not matter if a person is dysfunctional or mentally ill or whatever. What matters is if a person tries to overcome it.