Can I enter religious life with mental illness?

[gjmcatholic4]

Over the last couple of years I have felt an increased calling to enter the religious life, either as a sister or nun.

The more I have been reading about it though, it seems any mental illness—no matter the conditions—is treated as a reason for automatic exclusion from any community. While I understand not wanting someone severely unstable or dangerous, I am starting to feel discriminated against.

The mental illnesses I have are ADHD, anxiety, and occasional depression. Even though certain aspects of my life are more difficult than a normal person’s, I am still a fully-functioning adult and have learned to turn these weaknesses into strengths. I have been able to graduate from a good private college with a high GPA and now have a job. I have never been suicidal or had a mental breakdown.

Do religious orders take any of this into account, or is pretty much set in stone that if you have any mental illness then you’re not allowed?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Rather than merely “reading about” vocational requirements, I recommend you contact communities you are interested in and speak personally with the vocations directors. That is the only way you are going to get a fair picture of whether or not these communities are open to exploring a vocation with you. You mentioned feeling discriminated against based on preconceived notions of your capacities, but if you have only “read about” vocation requirements, then perhaps you too have been unfair in your judgments. You’ll never know unless you contact vocations directors and get the ball rolling.

That said, please keep in mind that communities have to discern whether or not an applicant will be a good fit for their communal life. If that person is under a doctor’s care, and/or if that person requires medication to maintain her mental health, those expenses will fall onto the shoulders of the community once the applicant is received into the community as a member. While those expenses may be manageable for you, living on your own with a job and access to health insurance, they may be a considerable burden for others.

There is also the fact that communities have a responsibility to ensure that the members they accept do not pose a foreseeable risk to themselves, to community members, or to society at large. While most people who suffer from mental illness do well with medication and/or therapy, it is possible that some might experience deterioration over time. That is an eventuality that would have to be taken into consideration.

If the communities you approach turn you away, these might be some of the reasons they have chosen to do so. It would not be out of lack of concern for you. If you aren’t able to find a community that is right for you, you might want to think about the possibility of a secular order or lay association attached to a religious community. That might be a way of experiencing religious life while remaining in the world.