i personally find it weird to say the least, and believe that people identifying as an animal should seek mental help - im not trying to say it in a rude way, but generally problems with gender identity etc come from dysphoria which is a mental disorder. its not the same as furry, where people just cosplay for fun, but actually think theyre an animal trapped in the wrong body... and i dont believe its fully "harmless", living in delusion isnt healthy and i dont think people should live in a bubble of their imaginaton, i believe to be actually cruel to let someone detach from reality just because they cant face the reality. i wouldnt be the person to laugh at them, but id just feel bad, not happy for them for "finding themselves" because they quite literally did the opposite.
I used to think that I was a therian, but I'm more likely a otherkin because I'm a fabulous beast, but I think it's similar.
When I was a member of a small closed community of therians, unlike me, they were mostly healthy people, just introverts with deviant thinking, many of them had jobs and a little social life, almost all fans of camping trip.
It seems to me that an indicator of mental health is the ability to take care of oneself, for example, to work, and also having a hobby or other ways to have fun, for example, camping trip, as well as behavior appropriate to the environment in which a person lives, and the presence of communication.
I have no problems with appropriate behavior, but I have a problem with work and partly with hobbies, not because of my deviations but because of autism, ADHD and GAD. My problems with communication are partly related to deviations, but why should I give up an important part of myself for the sake of communication, I will lose more than I will gain. But I can communicate with my own kind, because of autism it is difficult for me to communicate even with understanding, but I have one friend who is also a otherkin.
I have a neurodivergent brain, this contributed to me becoming who I became, it's not something that can be changed, it's just a given. Life taught me that striving to be like everyone else only brings me mental pain and disappointment, then I began to adapt life to myself as much as possible. When I told the psychotherapist about myself, she approved of this approach. Now my life is easier than before, there are other problems but they are not related to deviance.
Escapism in my case is a defense mechanism; I would have severe depression if it weren't for my good imagination. I am aware of my gender and appearance, but nothing will make me refuse to at least imagine being the way I feel, for me it's all natural, like breathing.
For comparison, imagine that you are allergic to oranges, but you like oranges and are asked to like apples, but you absolutely do not like apples and then you are offered to go to a psychologist so that he can help you stop loving oranges and and will change your attitude towards apples.
It seems completely different, but for me it's the same, a matter of taste, I never liked being human.
I believe that deviations that do not harm the subject and others are normal.