Quote: In conclusion, PSMI aren't just MORE of normal behavior-- even if it looks that way on the surface or even if the person tried to explain them away in this fashion-- they are DIFFERENT from normal behavior.
And regarding this part of the comment "taken to a socially unacceptable extreme"-- social acceptibility has nothing to do with it. As was pointed out, cleaning a lot, may be very socially acceptable. But the most healthy thing for a compulsive cleaner to do is to get to the point where she can let her kitchen floor be filthy and say, "you know it's just dirt, and I CHOOSE to clean it."
LP,
On defining mental illness, here are a few references I gathered supporting the contention of some mental illnesses/disorders being a continuum of normal behaviors. I thought it of interest that what may be defined as a disorder in one culture would be perfectly acceptable in another. The exception would be biological brain disorders.
Borderline Personality Disorder, for all that is said about it, and how it is defined, is after all, just "normal" taken to the extreme. It is not alien it is made up of traits that are human and found in the "normal" population. The borderline just exhibits these traits in extreme ways and emotionally-immature ways that are not age-appropriate.
In contrast to the categorical approach, which sees mental disorders as qualitatively distinct from normal behavior, a dimensional system views behavior as falling along a continuum of normality, with some behaviors considered more abnormal than others. In a dimensional system, diagnoses do not describe discrete diseases but rather portray the relative importance of an array of symptoms.
Deviation from social norms Certain behaviours are not merely acceptable in society, but also often expected in certain situations. Most members of society are aware of these social norms and adjust their behaviour accordingly. Those of us who break these norms are often seen as abnormal, or in extreme cases mentally ill. This approach takes into account the social desirability of behaviour, as social norms identify those behaviours that are considered desirable for both the individual and society. The wild behaviour, manic and strange antics of the schizophrenic fit this definition ... Culture This varies across societies, countries and continents. Each culture has its own ideas of what will be considered abnormal and normal behaviour. The full extension of this concept leads us to suggest that what is seen as a mental disorder in one society is not seen as a mental disorder in another. Therefore, it cannot be stated that one society is superior to another in defining mental illness, or that one society has a lower occurrence of mental disorders than another. Everything is relative to the prevailing culture within whose influence we move.
There can be no doubt that an individual with schizophrenia is seriously ill, but for other mental disorders such as depression or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the signs and symptoms exist on a continuum and there is no bright line separating health from illness, distress from disease. ... (example)Perhaps every adult in the United States has some atherosclerosis, but at what point does this move along a continuum from normal into the realm of illness? Ultimately, the dividing line has to do with severity of symptoms, duration, and functional impairment. ... Diagnosis rests on clinician judgment about whether clients’ symptom patterns and impairments of functioning meet diagnostic criteria. Cultural differences in emotional expression and social behavior can be misinterpreted as “impaired” if clinicians are not sensitive to the cultural context and meaning of exhibited symptoms, a topic discussed later in this chapter in Overview of Cultural Diversity and Mental Health Services
