Archive Home Page Well to keep this in perspective it is important to remember that one of the fundamental premises of western religions is "damaged goods", ie: sinners. Months ago when I was reading posts in the religious forums here I was astounded by the amount of self flagelation going on, often as a prelude to chastisement of others.
The point is, I think before anyone internalizes notions of what constitutes or does not connstitute mental illness, it needs to be measured against the whole picture. A good example of this is brought out in a little story in the book "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" where a patient escapes from an insane asylum in 1930's Germany only to return three days later exclaiming: "Herr Doktor, they're crazier than I am".