How does a person know if they are sane ?

How does a person know if their behavior or thought patterns are w/ in "normal" brain functions ?...

Oriental Delight	If you have to ask yourself this...you are on your way.
☼Flower Power♥	I would say that a truly insane person would not even have the ability to ask the question or even think to ask the question. I don't think insanity is easy to measure. If there was an instrument that could level a person's level of sanity then it would used in court maybe to see if someone that pleads "insanity" as a form of defense was actually insane. Although, I did read that an underdeveloped frontal lobe or frontal lobe injury can be correlated with alot of different problems.
Chiron	Society decides if you conform. So if you agree with the majority, you are normal. Crazy huh?!
moss03	Just asking the question shows pretty much you are OK. I believe people who are not sane or have "not normal" behavior,usually would not agree with you; they need help and someone usually has to intervene to get them the help.
mikenorrisonline	Why be normal when you can be N.O.R.M.L.?
RockerChick	if you dont know go see a shrink. More commonly people in todays society, i mean millions of people each year are diagnosed as being depressed, or having some sort of anxiety problem, if that is not sane, then who is really? To know for sure, go to a doctor, or a psychiatrist.
onein7twist	If you can distinguish between reality (whatever that REALLY is) and fantasy, you are sane. If the two merge, you're not.
Tic-Tac	What is considered "normal" is not one thing. It is a variation and a standard average to state 'what is normal' In Africa it is normal to put giant plates in their lips-here in LA it would be considered "not normal" In LA women have toxic Silicon put into their bodies-in tribal Africa it would be considered bizarre. Eating bugs in Cambodia is normal-here in USA it is odd or eccentric and some think gross. Time changes 50 years ago gayness was considered to be a mental health disorder now it is promoted as an alternative lifestyle- which is it or is it both??? Many people can think strange things-most do not act them out Those that think crazy and act it out are likely 'crazy' but the standard for that changes and psychology is a SOFT science compared to calculus.
Stuart	Normal is a relative term....no one has really defined it....and the voices from the walls tell me that brain function is a product of UFO's from Atlantis so you are normal after you speak to Our Leader.
thats me	wow i have always wondered the same thing.....maybe we are the normal ones and then the others are crazy.....one thing to do is pray
di05712	no such thing as being " normal " everyone is different. be yourself thats all
cziizi	the adage goes; if you think/suspect that you may be insane or at least significantly different from "normal" folks then you are perfectly sane. the corollary is if you think you are the sane one and everyone else is abnormal, then it's quite possible you are batty.
~Mz_Nurse~	One good way is by you asking this question. Now would an insane person ask such a question?
owllady	Is sane the same as normal? If so I don't want to be sane.
help me	Not sure. You know what the first sign of insanity is? Hairy palms. You know the second sign? Looking for them. You checked didn't you?
grandm	Normal is best defined as: what is socially acceptable. The simple fact that you're questioning your "normalcy" would indicate that you should talk to a doctor about your issues. Good luck!
christophert1000	You must be an intelligent, sensitive human being to even consider this question. I'll bet that you are in excellent shape. It's part of life. It's O.K.
starrplayer1331	well just sayin some people r just like that
Pie Man	they wouldn't know what sanity would be
delise@flash.net	If you worry about being insane, then you most likely are not. Most insane people do not worry about their sanity.
*Panda*	Man, that is a hard question to answer...Especially if that answer is coming from an insane and nutty person like me...LOL...Naw, I'm not but I have just one simple thing to say to your question...It is from a question I had and still am asking myself and the world...Similar to that of yours...Here it is...Exactly what is Normal?...I guess only society is the ones who can determine our saneness...But wait...How do 'we' the insane ones know if they are sane to determine our prognosis?...
diane f	what is sane there is no one person in this world that is sane except the lord jesus christ and we don't even know for sure if he was all we know is what the bible tells us.
Astro;Andy H.	Well more than likely if you are asking some one else or especially your self your are more than likely not (if u are asking ur self questions u are certainly not sane) and ne way who is sane and who defines it i think we are all crazy in our own little ways some people are just soo obnoxious that they let the whole world know in very annoying ways such as talkin REALLY loud on their cell phones in public places, any way if you concentrate on trying to be sane for the rest of your life it will drive you insane!!! just relax and live life to its fulles and every thing else will fall in place
Lady Shea	I don't think anyone is completely sane. Seriously. I know I can act a little obsessive-compulsive, occasionally paranoid (doesn't mean they're not out to get me!), and some times even depressed. Too many cloudy days in a row get me down, too. Yet by both legal and mental health definitions, I am a healthy individual, I am "normal". How do I know? My sister has a doctorate in psychology, and I asked her. Of course, maybe she's lying to me... (ha ha)
ladywriter	If your behavior and thought patterns are to survive and live by your own rules that harm no one, and help those in need, and to make things work doing what you know is right in your heart, then you are sane.
cassie12	What is "normal"?
CSI Missouri	Get evaluated by a psychiatrist.
Andrea	have you killed any one?...thought of killing anyone?...any thing stupid like that?... if u id no to all these you are/should b fine if u said yes to any of these u might need some serious help
Diane D	A wise psychiatrist once said that mental health was being able to get satisfaction from work and to be able to love. So if you are working and your love life is good then you are probably OK.
Tropical_Woman	Well, I'm not sure, so I'd rather quote a whole bunch of smart people. Here you go: In a mad world only the mad are sane. Akira Kurosawa (1910 - 1998) Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), (attributed) Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand, just decides to go to the store for a quart of milk. Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Three Doctors, 1993 Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), "On Reading and Writing" Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the fine line between sanity and madness gotten finer? George Price Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid. Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856) Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence. Henrik Tikkanen When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane. Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962) Part of being sane, is being a little bit crazy. Janet Long Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting. John Russell A neurosis is a secret that you don't know you are keeping. Kenneth Tynan It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. Krishnamurti I don't really trust a sane person. Lyle Alzado (1949 - 1992) There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line. Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972) The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you. Rita Mae Brown You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it. Robin Williams (1951 - ) There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad. Salvador Dali (1904 - 1989) There is no great genius without some touch of madness. Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD), Epistles Howard Hughes was able to afford the luxury of madness, like a man who not only thinks he is Napoleon but hires an army to prove it. Ted Morgan Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives. William Dement, in Newsweek, 1959 http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/sanity