Here's another topic to discuss: the relative impacts of nature and nurture in mental health disorders.

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All of us GAD sufferers know and understand the difference between normal, healthy stress, and bouts of anxiety where physical symptoms stay for weeks or months due to a chemical imbalance in the mind. However a lot of the time, speaking to people who don't suffer from mental health issues, I sort of feel from their comments, that they automatically feel like the reason they don't suffer from mental health issues is because they have a better psychology that makes them more resilient. 

It makes me wonder how much of the difference between mental health sufferers and the lucky ones that don't have these disorders is due to nature (natural chemical balance in the mind, the mind's ability to heal itself etc) vs how much is due to psychology (nurture: this can be changed). No one gets through a lifetime without experiencing some nasty shit, but my gut feel is that there is a large proportion of the population that can get through it without slipping into depression / severe anxiety, not because of healthier lifestyles or a better psychology, but because of their mind's ability to simply heal itself, or move on from bad situations. 

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For example, out of the millions of soldiers and civilians that experience combat situations at war, everyone will keep horrible memories from what they've seen, but some won't develop PTSD, while others will. to me that's simply the luck of the draw. 

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However, the nurture side can be immensely powerful: CBT, ACT and other forms of therapy help people overcome and heal their mental health problems. I think one extreme is that of a Buddhist monk who set himself on fire as a protest against the government, and sat in a meditating pose without letting out a single sound or movement. In fact I'd go as far as saying that mental health sufferers that have gone to therapy likely have a more resilient psychology - but they can still be let down by a chemical imbalance triggered by things out of their control, which requires more work to get better. 

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I think deep down I am still a bit jealous of people who get through life without experiencing mental health disorders. When I see some of my friends who go to 5 day festivals, smash a truck load of powerful stimulants and barely sleep, and then get back to feeling normal within 3 days when they stop... How...

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Would be good to hear some thoughts on this?