I always thought the functional definition of mental illness was any mental state and/or possibly resultant behaviors that
1. Present a danger to yourself
2. Present a danger to others
Or,
3. Impede one's ability to live a normal life
The third is the thorniest and most vague, but in my mind the definition should have nothing to do with "essence" but with presentations that justify medical intervention. The essential categorizations come later and are pragmatic. In my mind, homosexuality, however non-normative one may believe it to be, fits none of the three unless by "normal life" you mean heterosexual life.
As a side note, I don't buy that the number of gay people has skyrocketed. I think more people identify with the IDEA of fluidity of preference in their self-conception and the number of genuinely same-sex attracted individuals is roughly the same. I cannot, however, prove it.
I always thought the functional definition of mental illness was any mental state and/or possibly resultant behaviors that
1. Present a danger to yourself
2. Present a danger to others
Or,
3. Impede one's ability to live a normal life
The third is the thorniest and most vague, but in my mind the definition should have nothing to do with "essence" but with presentations that justify medical intervention. The essential categorizations come later and are pragmatic. In my mind, homosexuality, however non-normative one may believe it to be, fits none of the three unless by "normal life" you mean heterosexual life.
As a side note, I don't buy that the number of gay people has skyrocketed. I think more people identify with the IDEA of fluidity of preference in their self-conception and the number of genuinely same-sex attracted individuals is roughly the same. I cannot, however, prove it.