Are we morally obligated to care for our mental health?

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PerfectTiming

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I was told in RCIA it’s a sin for us to not take care of our physical health.
To me this makes sense, when you think of our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 6:19].
But are we also obligated to care for our mental health? Is it a sin if we do not? If it is, is it grave matter (ie. mortal sin)?
I know sometimes people are not aware they might have a problem with their mental health but I mean in the case of someone who is aware of it but does nothing to treat it.
 
What kind of mental health problems are you talking about?
 
Hi!

I have no doubt we’re obligated to take reasonable steps to care for our mental health… I don’t see how it’s much different from our physical health. I know from experience, though, how reluctant one can be to see a doctor if that’s what’s required… When it comes to mental health, there’s a stigma as well as a feeling that we should be able to handle it on our own since “it’s all in our minds.” But sometimes we really do need help – I discovered that to be the case for me.

I suspect this could qualify as grave matter, although it may depend on the circumstances. The kinds of troubles you mentioned sound serious to me… but I realize not everyone can afford therapy, etc. We can only do what’s within our ability and means to do. You could always talk to a priest or perhaps one of the apologists here at Catholic Answers.

Best wishes to you – I’ll say some prayers.
 
PerfectTiming said:
Things like depression, personality disorders, disorders that cause self-harming behaviour.
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In my Examination of Conscience I have, it lists “Seriously considering or attemping suicide.” as a mortal sin.

Just an example
 
I would think that they are referring to things like using your mental faculties to commit sins. If you spend you time thinking and dreaming about sin, you are not taking care of your mental health.

I don’t think they are referring to mental health as in disorders. Many disorders are out of a persons control and they cannot be fully culpable.
 
fermat said:
I would think that they are referring to things like using your mental faculties to commit sins. If you spend you time thinking and dreaming about sin, you are not taking care of your mental health.

I don’t think they are referring to mental health as in disorders. Many disorders are out of a persons control and they cannot be fully culpable.
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What I mean is mental health disorders. I know you cannot control if you have a disorder but is it a sin if you know/suspect you have one but do not treat it.
 
Answering yes or no are both dangerous.

Because the illusion that going to psychiatrists or taking medication is somehow caring for ones mental health.
 
hansgeorg said:
Answering yes or no are both dangerous.

Because the illusion that going to psychiatrists or taking medication is somehow caring for ones mental health.
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How is it not? Things like schizophrenia require medicated treatment. Some disorders only require therapy. Some use medication to start with whilst therapy is being arranged and then weened of the medication as the therapy takes it’s place.
 
Perfect Timing said:
How is it not? Things like schizophrenia require medicated treatment. Some disorders only require therapy. Some use medication to start with whilst therapy is being arranged and then weened of the medication as the therapy takes it’s place.
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Like Physical Ailments; I don’t believe most Mental Illnesses can be cured with the magical wizardry of psychotropic medication pushed and proffered by huge multi-billion dollar multinational pharmaceutical companies.

I’m not trying to be cynical or negative here.

(“What people need most is Spiritual Healing”).

I’m not particularly a huge advocate of Secular Psychiatry and Psychology because it too harbors secular humanism and moral relativism.and grossly lacks integral elements of Christianity and Spiritualism.

Many elements of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy today adopts aspects of Buddhism into its framework of therapeutic counseling.

Demographically few dioceses offer Spiritual Catholic Christian based Therapy and counseling to help heal various mental types of mental illnesses.

Because of this many people are forced to resort to the many inadequacies of secular psycho-therapy which doesn’t offer a magical cure-all.

Many physical and mental ailments are best carried like a Cross under the discipline of Spiritual direction.
 
PerfectTiming said:
Things like schizophrenia require medicated treatment. Some disorders only require therapy. Some use medication to start with whilst therapy is being arranged and then weened of the medication as the therapy takes it’s place.
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Do you know the case of Mary Moe, 32? The people who stamped her as having schizophrenia are trying to oblige her to abort.

And remember the parents of Rosemary Kennedy, who - betrayed her to a lifetime disabling lobotomy. Whatever her so called disease was.

“If she were lucid, she would want to continue treatment rather than pregnancy” …

As if preferring pregnancy were not lucid. As if her “horrid” delusions were not quite normal reactions to the “people” who want to force her to such a step.
AlexPetrosPio said:
In my Examination of Conscience I have, it lists “Seriously considering or attemping suicide.” as a mortal sin.
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It is absolutely a serious sin - as long as it is not a diseased reaction one cannot help. I think it is safer to regard it as a serious sin and therefore to say no thanks to the people who first would “excuse” one through a sham diagnosis and then use that diagnosis to make one even more hopeless.
 
Not everyone with mental disorders is capable of taking care of themselves. I have (had) a brother who has scizoprenia.

He is so psychotic that he resists all therapy, and so paranoid he does not take the prescribed the prescibed anti-psychotics. He thinks the drugs are poison.
 
centurionguard said:
Like Physical Ailments; I don’t believe most Mental Illnesses can be cured with the magical wizardry of psychotropic medication pushed and proffered by huge multi-billion dollar multinational pharmaceutical companies.

…
Many physical and mental ailments are best carried like a Cross under the discipline of Spiritual direction.
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Many physical and mental ailments can be treated successfully with modern medicine.
 
PerfectTiming said:
How is it not? Things like schizophrenia require medicated treatment. Some disorders only require therapy. Some use medication to start with whilst therapy is being arranged and then weened of the medication as the therapy takes it’s place.
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I had an uncle who had paranoiac schizophrenia: when he was on his meds, he was functional, if a bit odd. The problem is, after a while – and I’m told this isn’t unusual for people with schizophrenia to do – he would think he was cured, so he’d go off the meds, and then he’d start losing it, ie. thinking the FBI was monitoring his phonecalls, people walking on the street were watching him, etc.

My mother has PTSD as a result of being horribly abused by her father, and as a result, has severe depression. It got so bad that she was barely getting out of bed for the better part of six months. Finally, she saw a doctor about going on meds to regulate the depression and while it isn’t a cure, she’s way more functional than she was.

It just bugs me when people say that you just need to go to confession more often or see a priest to deal with mental illness. A good priest will tell you straight up, he’s not a therapist or a psychologist: he isn’t qualified to offer medical treatment, unless, like Father Benedict Groeschel. he actually has a degree in psychology. Mental illness is a medical problem as much as a physical ailment is. Telling someone with a mental illness that they just need to see a priest or pray more is like telling a person with diabetes that they shouldn’t take their insulin and regulate their diet, that they just need to pray more or go on a long fast, or telling someone with asthma that they should throw away their inhaler and ask God to give them the breath of life (not that one shouldn’t ask God for healing, but often, God heals through doctors and psychologists).
 
PerfectTiming said:
What I mean is mental health disorders. I know you cannot control if you have a disorder but is it a sin if you know/suspect you have one but do not treat it.
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When someone’s perceptions are messed up because of a mental illness, they may not be fully capable of getting the help they need. If someone needs help, don’t just stand on the sidelines and criticize - do what you can to help, or make the suggestion to someone who has the influence to be able to do so.

Sometimes people think no one else notices, and they are embarrassed to ask for help because of the stigma of mental illness. They worry about becoming unemployable and unable to get housing, if it becomes known that they are mentally ill.
 
Matrix_Refugee said:
It just bugs me when people say that you just need to go to confession more often or see a priest to deal with mental illness. A good priest will tell you straight up, he’s not a therapist or a psychologist: he isn’t qualified to offer medical treatment, unless, like Father Benedict Groeschel. he actually has a degree in psychology. Mental illness is a medical problem as much as a physical ailment is. Telling someone with a mental illness that they just need to see a priest or pray more is like telling a person with diabetes that they shouldn’t take their insulin and regulate their diet, that they just need to pray more or go on a long fast, or telling someone with asthma that they should throw away their inhaler and ask God to give them the breath of life (not that one shouldn’t ask God for healing, but often, God heals through doctors and psychologists).
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+1
 
andrewstx said:
He is so psychotic that he resists all therapy, and so paranoid he does not take the prescribed the prescibed anti-psychotics. He thinks the drugs are poison.
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They are. More precisely: they are on the long run hurtful for brain and interior organs (kidneys and such), they are also immediately causing discomfort.

There is neither anything psychotic nor anything paranoid about his resisting therapy and refusing the prescription.

And if you are there to push him into obedience to his torturers a k a shrinks, then you are very clearly meriting whatever attitude changes to the worse he shows you.
 
Matrix_Refugee said:
The problem is, after a while – and I’m told this isn’t unusual for people with schizophrenia to do – he would think he was cured, so he’d go off the meds, and then he’d start losing it, ie. thinking the FBI was monitoring his phonecalls, people walking on the street were watching him, etc.
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What if people, including you, thinking he was a paranoid schozophreniac, WERE watching him?

What if his FBI theory was his being charitable to family and neighbours?
 
Catholic90 said:
Many physical and mental ailments can be treated successfully with modern medicine.
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Some perhaps. But to make any absolute statement that decrees psychotropic medication is the definitive answer to all mental illnesses? Sorry. I’ve seen nothing that definitively supports this. There have been studies that show psychotropic medications will make a mental health situation worse and that could help aid the likelihood of suicide in “some” patients.
 
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