Who's "normal"?

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I think that (mental) health is a very elusive subject. It has something to do with being balanced and perceptive, which doesn't mean intelligent in terms of IQ, or any other test. Character and personality are such complicated combinations of instincts, learning and experience (and luck) that you can detect the right mix, only with a some sort of (again instinctive) sixth sense. Someone who has the capacity to make you feel at ease in his/her company is "normal" in a good sense.

Without sentimentalism or political colouring, I think I can safely say that "normal" describes the mean or average value within a large diverse group. And with that mean average as a reference polint, we can find the upper, the lower, and the fringes. If you've got a better, simpler explanation of "normal," I'd like to see it.

I read an interesting article about mental health a few weeks ago - sorry, can't find it now to tell you who wrote it, but the general theme of it was that what is generally considered to be 'abnormal' states of mental health, i.e. depression, bipolar disorder, etc are far more common in the general population than was at once thought by mental health professionals. Also that most people slip between what would be considered by psychiatrists to be 'normal' and 'abnormal' states quite frequently, so being 'abnormal' at times, may be entirely 'normal'.

I have heard that mental resilience is a good test for mental health. The more resilient one is to change/environmental pressures etc, the healthier one is. That's me out then, lol, I hate change.

Humour I think is a very healing/healthy thing...people who make you laugh are worth their weight in gold

How can abormal be considered normal?

That's like saying drunk is considered sober.

I don't feed trolls.

Unfortunately years ago I feel people on the autism spectrum had 2 choices growing up keeping there difference to them self or being 'processed' by the mental health system - people like to prejudge what they do not understand!

But of course your right we are all born as unique individuals, some just a little more different than others... and often due to the narrow mindedness of others feel isolated and live on the edge of society... I never knew what it was really like to be an minority until diagnosed with aspergers last year!

There is no such tnig as normal. All that really exist is a concept that a majority of people agree on.

There's an average mainstream standard considered as 'normal' perhaps (but that's due to majority opinion), but there's no true normal in a sense of what the human species is suppose to be.

What is the human species "supposed" to be? FWIW, I still like my idea about commonalities and statistical norms.

All things are suppose to be individualistic and free, including humans, so how can one determine normality to that?

Free will and normality are unconnected. A lot of cranks, pyschos and whackjobs out there are using their free will to escape normality.

From a somewhat long essay (not by me) which can be found here (link):

As I said, pathological.

Not to mention OCD.

"Pathological," as in somebody else's negative judgment? Ah, too many people in the world think they've got the whole of human experience between their two ears, IMO. "There' more on heaven and Earth..." and all that.

OCD sounds rough.

OCD is rough. I do not pretend to have the whole world's knowledge between my ears. I do not beg absolute correctness, as only a fool would. And I invite people to disagree with what I say. If I didn't want to be contradicted, I'd never speak or write a single word.