Q. I am doing a paper on the difference between a peculiar personality and clinical mental illness.

Do you think the difference between the two is covered in your textbook or maybe in lectures from your class? After doing some research I am not finding that “peculiar personality” is a disorder. It seems instead to be a phrase used to describe someone who may not seem ordinary but is not clinical or does not have a disorder.

As for examples of individuals, you might try thinking of individuals in the news, celebrities that may seem peculiar to some people but that aren’t clinical, versus people that have made headlines for crimes.

You might also ask for clarification from your instructor.