When is Mental Illness not Mental Illness?

Mental illness is a sick mind the same way physical illness is a sick body. Both of these can recover, and both of these may be permanent, or transitory and they affect the over all health of the mind and body to varying degrees, at different times and at various degrees. And at the same time it near impossible not to have these two conditions overlap, one causing disturbances in the other.

The above need be said if the topic is to be answered, when is mental illness not mental illness? A mind is well when it has the capacity to understand the possibilities of its own sickness. It must guard against mental illness constantly. A mind can become become suddenly ill, was born that way, or it can gradually develop into a full grown illness, much like an undetected cancer can do. As an example, when a mind finds itself blaming others constantly for one's own wrong doing and not even admitting or even realizing that at least a part of the fault lies with them.

Admittedly, these may only be tainted lifestyles and many will argue that blaming others is a coping mechanism and is far removed from mental illness. It relieves the stress from one's own guilt. That may be true, but when getting down to the nitty gritty of mental illness, this refusal to take a look at one's own irresponsible behavior is definitely not leading toward mental health.

Mental illness is not mental illness when we can stop our finger pointing long enough to help others who are in stress, or who need our help. And that happens to such a degree when tragedy strikes that there is indeed hope of recovery for most of us.

Therefore mental illness is not mental illness if we can see what we did wrong to others and say, I am sorry and mean it. A lesson has been learned. But being human, and therefore subject to mental illness, we may again do the same thing, but maybe it will take longer, and will occur under different circumstances, but
we will again see our mistake and attempt to overcome.

When we can put ourselves, or attempt to put ourselves into the other's shoes and truthfully answer, to the best of our ability to know the truth, even though their shoes may not fit our dainty feet, and to answer the question what would we have done, honestly, truthfully, and with the grace God gives us to know the truth,
we will be on the road to recovery if we say, much worse.

The road to mental health is a long one, a long sentence we we must serve and one often where there is more darkness than light. Help comes in many forms, but first it must be recognized as being, not something apart, something that afflicts others only, but part and parcel, of us all. When one hurts or lives in darkness, we all hurt.