system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Are mentally ill people aware of their current mental state?

Do mentally ill people know and understand that they are mentally ill but cannot help what they are doing? Eg. schizophrenia, bipolar, ~~autism~~

Also, can you be truly insane if you are self aware you are being insane?

Edit: Autism is not a mental illness but rather a mental disorder.
gpt
It depends on what mental illness and how bad it is.

Minor forms of mental illness like Depression are different from Schizophrenia. Depressed individuals know that not everyone is depressed like they are. Same with people with OCD.

Severe mental illnesses like Schizophrenia have various subtypes so it depends what type they have, how long they have had it, as well as how bad it is affecting them, and if they are seeking medical treatment.

Normally someone with severe psychosis is unaware that their thoughts are abnormal in the later phases of the illness unless they are seeking treatment. Usually at first when they start experiencing symptoms they will attempt to rationalize it or be unaware it is a symptom at all.

Edit: To answer the thread question; "can you be truly insane if you are self aware you are being insane?" Yes you can depending on what sort of mental illness you have but if we are referring to severe psychosis the answer is usually they are not aware. Also it is worth noting that insanity is not a medical term but a created legal one.