They used to have a legal defense where a person could plead "Temporary Insanity" in a court case. I don't know if they call it that any more. Maybe they call it a "mental defect" now.

But can a "mental defect" be temporary? I don't know how these things are handled in court, things may have changed

Temporary insanity or whatever they may call it only applies to moments of extreme stress that cause an individual to act "unnaturally" to themselves momentarily.

Not a diagnosis of anything other than a temporary moment of uncontrolled actions.

What is morally right is hardly ever politically correct.

That does not sound correct to me.

Sky since your main question is what is the difference between mental and medical illness.

Definitions are as follows:

illness /ill·ness/ (il´nes) disease.
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emotional illness a colloquialism for mental disorder, but not usually including mental retardation or mental disorders with a specific, known, organic etiology.
mental illness see under disorder.


Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. © 2007 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

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ill·ness (lns)
n.
Disease of body or mind; poor health; sickness.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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illness
Etymology: ME, unhealthy condition
an abnormal process in which aspects of the social, physical, emotional, or intellectual condition and function of a person are diminished or impaired compared with that person's previous condition.
Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.

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illness,
n 1. sickness or disorder.
2. malady of either body or mind the symptoms of which may be physically unobservable. Within general medical practice,
disease is nearly synonomous; however, illness has a more general connotation encompassing the subjective aspects of the patient as a whole rather than just physical or diagnostic symptoms; thus an alternative medical practitioner may prefer to treat illness rather than only the disease. See also disease and complaint.
illness, acute,
n illness with swift beginning and rapid course.
illness, layers of,
n.pl in homeopathy, multiple sets of symptoms in chronic disease, where as one set is cured with a specific remedy, the next set is revealed requiring a different remedy. See also symptoms, alternating; metastasis; suppression; and syndrome shift.
illness, level of,
n the depth of disease manifestation in an individual. The deepest level affects the person's integrity and creativity and major vital organs. See also direction of cure, syndrome shift and symptoms, hierarchy of.
illness, onset of,
n the pattern of situations and symptoms of the illness that is often crucial for determining the beginning or start of the condition. See also biopathography, etiological factor, causality, occasion, pathogenesis, and precipitating factor.
illnesses, environmental,
n.pl adverse health effects that result from exposure to chemical toxins found in the environment, such as heavy metals, pesticides, and solvents. Include disorders of the endocrine, immune, and neurological systems.
Jonas: Mosby's Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (c) 2005, Elsevier.

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illness
a subjective state in a human marked by feelings of deviation from the normal healthy state; a term not thought to be applicable to animals.
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed. © 2007 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved

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illness
The state of being unwell, a term used by regulatory agencies–eg, the FDA, which modifies 'illness' with certain adjectives, in order to allow Pts to receive experimental drugs that do not have FDA approval. Cf Life-threatening illness, Severely debilitating illness.
McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_mental_disorders


Definitions
In the scientific and academic literature on the definition of mental disorder, one extreme argues that it is entirely a matter of value judgements (including of what is normal) while another proposes that it is or could be entirely objective and scientific (including by reference to statistical norms);[1] other views argue that the concept refers to a "fuzzy prototype" that can never be precisely defined, or that the definition will always involve a mixture of scientific facts (e.g. that a natural or evolved function isn't working properly) and value judgements (e.g. that it is harmful or undesired).[2] Lay concepts of mental disorder vary considerably across different cultures and countries, and may refer to different sorts of individual and social problems.[3]

The World Health Organization (WHO) and national surveys report that there is no single consensus on the definition of mental disorder/illness, and that the phrasing used depends on the social, cultural, economic and legal context in different contexts and in different societies.[4][5] The WHO reports that there is intense debate about which conditions should be included under the concept of mental disorder; a broad definition can cover mental illness, mental retardation, personality disorder and substance dependence, but inclusion varies by country and is reported to be a complex and debated issue.[4] There may be a criterion that a condition should not be expected to occur as part of a person's usual culture or religion. However, despite the term "mental", there is not necessarily a clear distinction drawn between mental (dys)functioning and brain (dys)functioning, or indeed between the brain and the rest of the body.[6]

Most international clinical documents avoid the term "mental illness", preferring the term "mental disorder"[4] However, some use "mental illness" as the main over-arching term to encompass mental disorders.[7] Some consumer/survivor movement organizations oppose use of the term “mental illness” on the grounds that it supports the dominance of a medical model.[4] The term "serious mental illness" (SMI) is sometimes used to refer to more severe and long-lasting disorder while "mental health problems" may be used as a broader term, or to refer only to milder or more transient issues.[8][9] Confusion often surrounds the ways and contexts in which these terms are used.[10]

[edit] ICD-10
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is an international standard diagnostic classification for a wide variety of health conditions. Chapter V focuses on "mental and behavioural disorders" and consists of 10 main groups:

F0 Organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders
F1 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of psychoactive substances
F2 Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders
F3 Mood [affective] disorders
F4 Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders
F5 Behavioural syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors
F6 Disorders of personality and behaviour in adult persons
F7 Mental retardation
F8 Disorders of psychological development
F9 Behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence
In addition, a group of “unspecified mental disorders”.
Within each group there are more specific subcategories. The ICD includes personality disorders on the same domain as other mental disorders, unlike the DSM. The ICD-10 states that mental disorder is "not an exact term", although is generally used "...to imply the existence of a clinically recognisable set of symptoms or behaviours associated in most cases with distress and with interference with personal functions." (WHO, 1992).

The WHO is revising their classifications in this section as part of the development of the ICD-11 (scheduled for 2014) and an "International Advisory Group" has been established to guide this.[11]

[edit] DSM-IV
The DSM-IV, produced by the American Psychiatric Association, characterizes mental disorder as "a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual,...is associated with present distress...or disability...or with a significant increased risk of suffering." but that "...no definition adequately specifies precise boundaries for the concept of "mental disorder"...different situations call for different definitions" (APA, 1994 and 2000). The DSM also states that "there is no assumption that each category of mental disorder is a completely discrete entity with absolute boundaries dividing it from other mental disorders or from no mental disorder."

The DSM-IV-TR (Text Revision, 2000) consists of five axes (domains) on which disorder can be assessed. The five axes are:

Axis I: Clinical Disorders (all mental disorders except Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation)
Axis II: Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation
Axis III: General Medical Conditions (must be connected to a Mental Disorder)
Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems (for example limited social support network)
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning (Psychological, social and job-related functions are evaluated on a continuum between mental health and extreme mental disorder)
The main categories of disorder in the DSM are:

(this part is a chart and I do not think is copied correctly)

DSM Group Examples
Disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood or adolescence. *Disorders such as ADHD and epilepsy have also been referred to as developmental disorders and developmental disabilities. Mental retardation, ADHD
Delirium, dementia, and amnesia and other cognitive disorders Alzheimer's disease
Mental disorders due to a general medical condition AIDS-related psychosis
Substance-related disorders Alcohol abuse
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders Delusional disorder
Mood disorders Major depressive disorder, Bipolar disorder
Anxiety disorders General anxiety disorder
Somatoform disorders Somatization disorder
Factitious disorders Munchausen syndrome
Dissociative disorders Dissociative identity disorder
Sexual and gender identity disorders Dyspareunia, Gender identity disorder
Eating disorders Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa
Sleep disorders Insomnia
Impulse control disorders not elsewhere classified Kleptomania
Adjustment disorders Adjustment disorder
Personality disorders Narcissistic personality disorder
Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention Tardive dyskinesia, Child abuse

[edit] Other schemes
The Chinese Society of Psychiatry's Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders (currently CCMD-3)

The Latin American Guide for Psychiatric Diagnosis (GLDP).[12].


I am not going to make this any longer but what is obvious to me is that like all scientific studies which basically covers everything we "define" in this world, it is still being developed and is changing as it should.

Wrong.

Prove me wrong, and I will shut up.

I don't want you to shut up. You have a right to your opinion and to voice it.

Morality is based from a society deciding what is right and wrong. Politically correct is a society deciding what is proper or socially acceptable.

Almost the same thing.

Yeh, I don't get his point at all. He seems to think he has one, but I don't think he does.


Perhaps if he would provide some examples?

.
____________BRAVO, Dragoness!!!_____________

THAT'S INDISPUTABLE!!!.

Apparently, he's just trying to throw around the catch-phrases that sound nice -- regardless of whether meaningful or ..less!

-- smells like a socialist ideology!

Aside from the fact that a definition is not a difference, it is an identity…

Did you actually read all of these definitions? I know I didn’t. And I doubt that anyone without an extensive education in the field would understand all of it even if they did read it.

However, here is one part of it that I definitely did understand. “[edit] DSM IV … no definition adequately specifies precise boundaries for the concept of "mental disorder"...different situations call for different definitions" (APA, 1994 and 2000).”

So they just make it up as they go along.

And that’s pretty much exactly what I’ve been saying from the start.

maybe mental illness is really demon possession

Funny, I did not get that from that.

I guess personal conjecture and perception is at play here big time.

Which of course is your perogative always.

I don't think I want to go back to middle ages. They bled people and all kinds of weird stuff. No thanks.

nobody's asking you to shut up but this one's a slam dunk. you're wrong because no two people have the exact same moral compass. in that as in every thing we are individually unique. and surely you're not suggesting that every body sees political issues the same way are you? that everybody agrees on what is and is not politically correct? are you really saying that? like these easy ones.

As it is yours, as well as the mental health industry's. No argument there. And in fact, that is, again, just what I have been saying all along - "personal conjecture and perception is at play here big time."

I am moral, not political. I was infering to some pretty messed up views when it came to those who have a diffrent mentality than thier fellow peers. But just what were you infering when it come to "Poilical Issues". Is someone who has a dirrent mentality other than yours an "issue".

SkyHook,

I think this is a great topic, and am displeased that I haven't had time the last week or so to join in more. I haven't read the whole thread, but from the parts I read, and without projecting claims onto you that you didn't actually make, and from what I understood of your position, I agree with your overall theme.

We place a tremendous amount of trust in the mental health professionals, and are encouraged to believe that this has a solid, scientific foundation. I think its obvious that the scientific foundation is not so solid - but this doesn't necessarily detract from the value of the techniques used. Massage had benefited people for thousands of years before the science even existed, to provide even a basic scientific explanation.

One of the issues you raise is that of liberty, and who decides when (and on what basis) liberty should be denied some who may be a threat to themselves and others. While I do believe that certain kinds of... can I say 'crazy'?... or "people inclined to sudden acts of violence" and such should be safely restrained, I'm not clear on the need to invoke "special discretionary powers of a medical professional". A persons actions (which includes words spoken, threats made, etc) should be enough to address this issue. And if a person can't deal with the consequences of their actions, and they are sane enough to restrain themselves, then they have the choice to simply do so. Otherwise, off to the jail or loony bin with the dangerous - who are known to be dangerous by their actions.

An open question is, once a mentally unstable person has proven they are potentially dangerous based on their actions, to what extent should PsychoPriests have special powers? Or should the law not allow double standards for the insane?

A crazy woman once threw a rock through my window when I was living in the ghetto, and assaulted a neighbor fifteen minutes later.

Now, if one of the kids in the ghetto did that, gets caught, spends a little jail time, spends time working to pay for the widow, etc, there is a good chance the experience will cause him to reconsider his impulses in the future.

But this crazy womam - I'm not sure this would apply in her case. Her mental state was abnormal, she was abnormally dangerous, and jail time mightn't help that. If we treat her exactly the same as the hypothetical bored/angry vandal, then we release her onto the street and maybe the next time the rock is aimed at someones head. See where I'm going?

I dislike the idea of medical professionals having special powers to deny people liberty based on such subjective evaluations - but I also dislike that this erratic and dangerous woman was wandering the street.

I have first/second-hand experience dealing with some mental illnesses. the OP seems to have an older generational view of mental illness, from a time when most believed that it was all a matter of self-discipline. I could not disagree more, if this is what you are saying.
The real reason that there are far more labeled mental illnesses now, is that it is only in the last century that scientists were even willing to admit there WAS such a thing. The guy who said they are "all invented" is prejudiced in the old way of thinking. I don't care what credentials someone places above or below their name, when they refuse to think, and refuse to alter their beliefs to fit the facts, they are fools.
Long ago, it was believed that PHYSICAL illnesses were due to failures in god worship procedures. "Experts" corrected illnesses by sacrificing goats; they graduated to 'bleeding' people until they either healed on their own, or died. Finally germs were discovered, and suddenly a bunch of new diseases were "invented."
There are at least two categories that mental illnesses can currently include, and they are those KNOWN to be due to physical problems (such as brain damage), and those that are not yet known to have physical components. They are both REAL.
Now, as to whether EVERY person who claims mental illness as a reason for failures, crimes, or other problems in their lives, that's an entirely different question, which the OP did NOT ask. Just as there are people who PRETEND to be physically ill for personal gain, or to get out of an obligation, there are certainly people who PRETEND to have mental issues for the same reasons. Declaring PHYSICAL illnesses to be imaginary, just because SOME people fake them, is recognized as foolishness. The same is true with mental issues.