Why do i have to lift the door handle to unlock/lock my car?

Is it loose /worn out . They do that on a 20 year old civic , It's not how it's designed to work but things wear out . . You can inspect the mechanism if you like pulling your hair out and throwing wrenches

I'm not sure I understand the question but if you're saying the door is sagging and you have to pull up on the handle to lift the door so it will open or close then no, that's not normal. The door hinges are probably worn out and allowing the door to sag. If that's the case you can buy a bushing kit to fix it. If this has been going on for a while the striker and possibly the latch assembly will also need to be replaced. Hope that helps! Jim