The question of Appropriateness

[ChickenInSpace]

what is 'acting out of mental illness' and why is there an assured lack of choice?

unless you're going thru some sort of psychosis that severely impairs your judgment, your ability to reason, your 'reality testing' you are still making a choice in what you are doing. Even if you are severely mentally ill, you can decide whether to engage in behaviors that would prevent any potentially negative situation in the future.

Making generalization for all mental illnesses is not recommended bc there is a wide range of conditions, levels of severity (that affect people's decision making abilities), and situational context.

Actually, most OCD behaviour or 'mental illness' does not let the person with OCD chose if it wants to OCD or not. Once started the OCD acts as its own compartmentalized identity overriding your 'own' will no matter how much you sob, scream or sulk.

Unfortunately I have nothing in terms of peer papers for this. I just hung around a bunch of people with OCDs in my life.

I assume this can go for alot of both perceived and actual mental illnesses (if you like to categorize as such, that is).