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who defines wether someone has a mental illness or not or by what standards?

Well if we're going by text book meanings of something not quite right in your head I have extreme phobia of physical contact paranoia and schizophrenia but I consider myself mentally well(I never get lonely that's a plus right?) but I'm not entirely sure about what people need to be educated on.*shrugs*

Well truthfully they could find a better way to address it instead of saying mentally defective like they're some kind of broken bionic toy, people making fun of crazy people or mental illness focused hospitals isn't that widespread at least not anywhere I've been only hear it in the odd way like "Man that guy was crazy" or something along those lines I never notice people insulting the mentally ill but then again one doesn't notice everything.

All a mental illness is is generally a problem in the persons brain where they can't control there own emontons due to damage or birth defect. These people most of the time have functioning brains so unlike the retarded, they can understand whats going on. One example is a man in the late 1800's, I forgotten his name but he suffered a nail going right threw his cheek bone and out of his brain in the front of his head. He was alive and imdeitaly able to sit up and speak complete sentcenses but the damage to his frontal loble mess up his behaivor and he became a very, expressive and violent person contrast to his calm and controlled self.
Most likey people are afraid of things they don't know or understand so its very common to find someone not wanting to get to know someone with a mental illness. They might be afraid of being harmed or just don't want anything out of the norm.
Although compareing diabetes doesn't seem acturate. People with diabetes are able to live heathy normal lives while some people with a mental illness can't.
But I guess this is really just a question of common mortaily and acceptan around the common man.

iouwho i really don't agree with what you are saying. mental illness is NOT a birth defect, nor is it something that only comes from injury. Mental illness is an ILLNESS. and people with mental illness CAN lead normal lives. I have bipolar disorder (which is a mental illness) and yes i went through hell to get where i am but now i'm living a normal fulfilled life. my disease effects almost every aspect of my life, but think about it...diabetes effects every aspect of someone that has it's life. just in different ways. i take medication, so does someone with diabetes. i have to have certain accomidations at school, so does somewone with diabetes, i have to go to the doctor quite a bit, so does someone with diabetes, and i have to adjust my living style just like someone with diabetes. there really isn't hardly any difference except for the way our illness effects us. at all

honestly it sounds like you have never been to a psychiatric hospital. or a good one at least. i have been to one specific hospital 4 times (i have severe mental illness) and really hospitals are not white walled and all of that stuff. actually the hospital's envirionment was very comforting and it really did help. hospitals aren't there to cure you of your problem. they are there to give you a safe envioronment until you are of a major crisis situation. it really isn't like what most people think it's like.

I was diagnosed with major depression (in the 98 percentile) and also have aspergers syndrome, I try not to make it look that way because people treat you differently.

And to say that there is no such thing as a mental illness is kinda harsh, I mean there is absolutly nothing wrong with my life to warrant my depression. While I do believe there are people who have personalities similar to some disorders and are misdiagonsed, I also know there are people who are really suffering and get help.