Can we have an agreed upon definition of "mentally ill"? [View all]

[YoungDemCA]

Because otherwise, I can easily see the ramifications of labeling " social deviants" or "suspicious people" as "mentally ill", and they aren't positive.

Now, I'm not saying that the young man responsible for Friday's atrocities didn't have incredibly serious, unaddressed issues (that should be obvious to anyone now). But surely, we need to do better than the incredibly vague and loaded phrase "mentally ill", no?

What exactly are we looking for here, when we say "we need to get the mentally ill treatment and help"? Not a facetious question, by the way; it's a question of real relevance for all of us.