
Because of a mental disorder, the defendant was compelled to commit the crime by an irresistible force.Because of a mental disorder, the defendant did not know what he or she was doing.Because of a mental disorder, the defendant did not understand that what he or she was doing was illegal.The law varies from state to state, but in most courts that recognize the "insanity defense," someone is found to be legally insane if he or she meets one of three conditions: Mental illness at the time of the offense is a prerequisite for a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity ruling, but legal insanity is not simply a judgment of whether or not a person has a mental illness. court of law (as well as courts in some other countries), insanity and mental illness are related conditions but they are by no means synonymous. Mental illness and mental disorder are psychiatric concepts, while insanity is a cultural and legal concept. The main reason that this concept is so confusing is that lawyer shows and press coverage of actual cases often don't clarify the distinction between insanity and mental illness. How do you prove somebody is (or was) insane?.

What level of mental illness constitutes "insanity"?.

