Separating Practical from Mythical

I was recently having lunch at a popular grocery store/cafe when I overheard the conversation next to me. Two women were speaking to each other about their churches and sharing their personal histories with each other. At one point in the conversation the shorter of the two women mentioned that at some moment in her past a judge had ruled that she might be a danger to herself as well as her husband and children. There was talk of suicide and some other troubling situations, but