Does anyone have a mental disorder?

[244Rocket]

Praying to St. Dymphna for all suffering from mental illness.

 

[onaquest]

My illness has also caused me to look at suffering. I would appreciate any feedback on this feeling of mine. But when Christ took on the sin of the world, didn’t he take on all of the effects of original sin.(if that is the way you put it.) He took on the act of sin but also sickness and death and all the ugliness that God had not intended for mankind. Is this faulty thinking? I gain comfort from the thought that my illness is on the cross and that Christ has already performed as the Physician in the Resurection . I wait for my suffering to be glorified in Christ at the end of time. But just as Christ died and suffered for the murderer as well as the victim he died for the tortured within me and the sinner. Let me know what you think. THanks

 

[tessi]

The devil hides in the diagnosis of mental illness as to discredit your witness and thwart the help of the Church which will not get involved once this diagnosis is reached. Demonic oppression is a very real concern for the mentally ill, as he likes to be destructive while hidden, but manifesting to the victim so that they will try to fight him alone, which is a trap.

I wonder how someone can tell if it is the devil or just a mental disease. I’ve been taking antidepresives for a long time and everything was fine, but just like a “silicone walking”, when I stopped the pills the anguish came back; that feeling that nothing makes sense and God doesn’t care and my efforts are useless. So am I suppose to live artificially for the rest of my life? or should I try to fight those temptations?

 

[TOP]

My illness has also caused me to look at suffering. I would appreciate any feedback on this feeling of mine. But when Christ took on the sin of the world, didn’t he take on all of the effects of original sin.(if that is the way you put it.) He took on the act of sin but also sickness and death and all the ugliness that God had not intended for mankind. Is this faulty thinking? I gain comfort from the thought that my illness is on the cross and that Christ has already performed as the Physician in the Resurection . I wait for my suffering to be glorified in Christ at the end of time. But just as Christ died and suffered for the murderer as well as the victim he died for the tortured within me and the sinner. Let me know what you think. THanks

Yes He did. I call your wait “being in the garden” and have meditated deeply there during the rosary.

Luke 22:39 And going out, he went, according to his custom, to the mount of Olives. And his disciples also followed him. 40 And when he was come to the place, he said to them: Pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn away from them a stone’s cast; and kneeling down, he prayed, 42 Saying: Father, if thou wilt, remove this chalice from me: but yet not my will, but thine be done. 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, he prayed the longer. 44 And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow.

I have a 8 x 10 print of this on my bedroom wall to remind me that we are not left alone in suffering and to know I can be with Him there.

 

[TOP]

I wonder how someone can tell if it is the devil or just a mental disease. I’ve been taking antidepresives for a long time and everything was fine, but just like a “silicone walking”, when I stopped the pills the anguish came back; that feeling that nothing makes sense and God doesn’t care and my efforts are useless. So am I suppose to live artificially for the rest of my life? or should I try to fight those temptations?

I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I didn’t mean that mental illness doesn’t afflict myself and others to some degree. But it has been my experience that the devil will try to magnify the situation. Combine that with the Holy Spirit given you guidance and you start to share what is going on with others, they think you are crazy. I was in the hospital 5 times in one year during spiritual attacks before I stopped being scared of the devils tactics. After I made the St. DeMontfort consecration to Jesus through Mary, the physical manifestations stopped. But, my Dr. was changing my meds during that time as well.

Just recently I was taking off of geodon, a powerful antipsychotic. This was 3 days before I was to be a godfather to my nephew in a Byzantine church. I was very sick from withdrawals and even posted a prayer request on CAF concerning it. The day of the baptism , I felt fine. During the ritual and the Divine liturgy, the godparents go through a very thorough minor exorcism at the back of the church before the godparents and child approach the font. The font is placed in front of the iconostasis in which the altar is behind. It is quite a beatiful ceremony. Right after the baptism, we went downstairs and had a little celebration. The devil immediately started his attack when a family member that had too much wine verbally attacked me. That night, the anger and resentment in me started to brew. I fell the next day and I could almost here the devil saying "why should you serve? All the memories of every type of suffering I had been through flooded my thoughts and resentment grew. I am still on the road of reconciliation, but the temptations are almost overwhelming. I told my Dr. about the temptations and he put me back on a different med. This back and forth has been going on for over 3 years now. I know that I have had direct contact with the devil 3 times that I know of. This was after his scare tactics stopped working. He came unhidden, speaking in a regular voice. The Lord has withheld what he said to me except for one thing in particular which is between me and my confessor. So in the end, you could flip a coin as to if it is pure mental illness or spiritual warfare, but my faith tells me it is a war that has been taken place. Thanks for reading this, Tim

 

[goofyjim]

I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I didn’t mean that mental illness doesn’t afflict myself and others to some degree. But it has been my experience that the devil will try to magnify the situation. Combine that with the Holy Spirit given you guidance and you start to share what is going on with others, they think you are crazy. I was in the hospital 5 times in one year during spiritual attacks before I stopped being scared of the devils tactics. After I made the St. DeMontfort consecration to Jesus through Mary, the physical manifestations stopped. But, my Dr. was changing my meds during that time as well.

Just recently I was taking off of geodon, a powerful antipsychotic. This was 3 days before I was to be a godfather to my nephew in a Byzantine church. I was very sick from withdrawals and even posted a prayer request on CAF concerning it. The day of the baptism , I felt fine. During the ritual and the Divine liturgy, the godparents go through a very thorough minor exorcism at the back of the church before the godparents and child approach the font. The font is placed in front of the iconostasis in which the altar is behind. It is quite a beatiful ceremony. Right after the baptism, we went downstairs and had a little celebration. The devil immediately started his attack when a family member that had too much wine verbally attacked me. That night, the anger and resentment in me started to brew. I fell the next day and I could almost here the devil saying "why should you serve? All the memories of every type of suffering I had been through flooded my thoughts and resentment grew. I am still on the road of reconciliation, but the temptations are almost overwhelming. I told my Dr. about the temptations and he put me back on a different med. This back and forth has been going on for over 3 years now. I know that I have had direct contact with the devil 3 times that I know of. This was after his scare tactics stopped working. He came unhidden, speaking in a regular voice. The Lord has withheld what he said to me except for one thing in particular which is between me and my confessor. So in the end, you could flip a coin as to if it is pure mental illness or spiritual warfare, but my faith tells me it is a war that has been taken place. Thanks for reading this, Tim

I prefer not to connect mental illness with demonic possession. It is achemically, physically based illness just like cancer and heart disease or anythinng else out there. If we even try to label it as minor demonic possession we end up ostracizing them and stigmatizing them which shouldn’t be done. Instead we need to give mental health patients the same equal health treatment for their condition as anyone else gets for theirs. Parity.

 

[wjp984]

There is a history of bi-polar in my family and my mom has caused a lot of trouble for my family and also unfortunately does not believe in God. I personally suffer from generalized anxiety disorder which means I am depressed a lot from all the things I want to do but don’t do due to my anxiety as well as being in physical pain at times from the stress and aches of being tense all the time. I think I lucked out and did not get bi-polar but I don’t know for sure as I have not had the need to get treatment since I still function even while I’m miserable.

In some ways I think it brings me closer to God as I really have to depend on God for everything in my life since I am so worried on a consistent basis. However, at other times I am so frustrated with myself and just blame God for everything even though it’s mostly my fault for the situations I get into or things I choose not to do.

What bothers me most is I feel I have to use my God given ability to excel in law school to get a job at some big firm in order to become very wealthy and therefore prove I am normal and everything else will come with it. The reality is I think God has different plans for me than and I would be happier using my abilities elsewhere but anxiey causes a lot of irrational fears and staying the course with being in the top of my class to get a great high paying job is never irrational so I’m choosing that.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

I prefer not to connect mental illness with demonic possession. It is achemically, physically based illness just like cancer and heart disease or anythinng else out there. If we even try to label it as minor demonic possession we end up ostracizing them and stigmatizing them which shouldn’t be done. Instead we need to give mental health patients the same equal health treatment for their condition as anyone else gets for theirs. Parity.

Good answer! …Mental Illness per se has nothing to do with demonic possession or obsession. They are three totally different categories for totally different possible human experiences.
Mental Illness per se, as you have stated, is simply an illness like any other where there is some sort of medical problem asking medical treatment. Just as heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc. etc. are illnesses and medical problems asking medical treatment. The brain and matters connected to and intrinsic to the function of the brain can malfunction in some way just as any other organ of the body can.

I suppose that a sufferer of a mental illness being human as any other, or a sufferer of heart disease, cancer or diabetes and all other illnesses could, potentially at least, also suffer a demonic possession or obsession which would ask spiritual aid. In this case if it were to occur the person would need to be treated by medicine and a spiritual advisor. Or the doctor and the spiritual advisor would need to work together for the good of the sufferer.

Nowadays, thankfully, most doctors and spiritual advisors do recognize their own area of expertise and if necessary the one will refer the person to the other…or the medical expert and the spiritual expert will work together and liase.

Should a sufferer of MI or any other illness also suffer demonic possession or obsession it is incidental and not pertinent in any way directly to MI or any other illness.

Connecting mental illness per se automatically to any sort of demonic possession or obsession betrays a lack of understanding. A demonic spirit I suppose could focus on a sufferer of mental illness as much as any other person be they in sound health or ill in some way.

Strictly speaking, mental illness can be something of a misnomer. Rather mental illness is a physical problem affecting mental functioning. Research into MI and the connection with problems within the brain are still very much in the early stages as science goes…to date, it is becoming apparent that MI does have a physical origin in the brain somewhere or somehow and the brain remains an organ of the body liable to problems as is heart, lungs, kidneys etc. - to my knowledge anyway.

Barb

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Many years back my own psychiatrist then and my then director/confessor worked together…this is testimony to the fact that recognizing their own expertise each specialist in their own area could indeed work together given the right attitudes and perspectives in both experts…and to the wellbeing and profit of the person involved.

A person suffering MI may be subject to some form of demonic attack as well…or just may simply need spiritual help somewhere as well as medical help. My own experience was situational to me and not at all any indication that mental illness treatment always needs some sort of spiritual expert as well.

There is a movement (not a big one sadly …as yet!) within psychiatry and psychology to recognize in a formal manner that every person does also have a spiritual dimension and to recognize where the line may occur and a person need also an expert in spiritual matters.

Barb

 

[Kathrin]

What broke my heart was that I had my first inkling of my illness after I had entered my postulancy at a Cistercian monastery. I left due to my illness though on all sides it was not known at the time. We just thought the enviroment was too constrictive for me and that that is why I became paranoid there. Anyway my biggest heartbreak is that now with my bipolar diagnosis they won’t allow me to return. I have found that with many orders but did find two that might consider entrance from me.

I am sending a prayer your ways…

Try not to let it break your heart. remember that God works in mysterious ways. maybe for some reason you were not ready to enter that environment at that time?

Something else I want to mention in this thread is that after I hit what may have been my very low and finally decided to take medication and started getting better… it felt like such a miracle that I actually felt blessed to have been through all those very bad times. Because now I was walking there, feeling sooo very blessed, being able to really really appreciate what other people may just take as normal.

Kathrin

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Top’s Post
HERE

Hi Top…I am not sure, Top, whether you have been diagnosed as a sufferer of mental illness or not - forgive me if you have made it clear somewhere either way…I wanted to comment on your Post, as my Posts are in no way a contradiction of your own. Undoubtedly Satan could attack in some way a person weakened in many ways indeed by a mental illness and Satan is indeed clever, insidious, sly and manipulative. “14… for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light.” (2Corinthians) There is nothing to fear from Satan “These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world.” (V31 Gospel of John) although a nasty experience…and certainly if attacked at the same time as experiencing mental illness where confusion does abound. Even if a sufferer of mental illness under these attacks succumbed in some way, there would be no issue of morality in it, since to commit sin one needs to have interior freedom to choose and in mental illness one is not in full command of one’s faculties. Satan is aware of this I am sure, but it can serve to discourage and undermine the person.

So in the end, you could flip a coin as to if it is pure mental illness or spiritual warfare, but my faith tells me it is a war that has been taken place.

Sometimes the person cannot know for sure what is taking place in the confusion that mental illness can be.

If you are confident it was demonic attack and especially if your confessor is aware of what happened, if it were me I would be quite confident that my own assessment (supported by my confessor) was correct.
To share such a quite personal experience with others will not necessarily draw their agreement/support of what took place, as I am sure you are aware. There is that old saying which I think comes from some philosopher, am unsure “I cannot agree with what you are saying, but will defend with my life your right to say it.” In other words, people are entitled to their own opinion, which is not necessarily to say that any opinion formed is correct or that one agrees with it.

Sometimes too psychiatriste’s are unwilling to recognize that a person may be in some sort of spiritual difficulty…and sometimes even some priests will immediately defer and refer people to a psychiatrist when quite possibly the priest would be of more help and the problem is in his area of spiritual expertise.

Barb

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Originally Posted by onaquest forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cab/viewpost.gif
What broke my heart was that I had my first inkling of my illness after I had entered my postulancy at a Cistercian monastery. I left due to my illness though on all sides it was not known at the time. We just thought the enviroment was too constrictive for me and that that is why I became paranoid there. Anyway my biggest heartbreak is that now with my bipolar diagnosis they won’t allow me to return. I have found that with many orders but did find two that might consider entrance from me.

Kathrin:

I am sending a prayer your ways…

Try not to let it break your heart. remember that God works in mysterious ways. maybe for some reason you were not ready to enter that environment at that time?

… …Prayers here too… a very painful experience!

Kathrin

Something else I want to mention in this thread is that after I hit what may have been my very low and finally decided to take medication and started getting better… it felt like such a miracle that I actually felt blessed to have been through all those very bad times. Because now I was walking there, feeling sooo very blessed, being able to really really appreciate what other people may just take as normal.

… …The poor, and we have many forms of poverty including debilitating illness, are beloved of The Lord who share His Cross…“and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh” (Colossians 1 -V24) “10 Always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies.”( 2Corinthians Ch4 V10)…and to take a walk with mental illness with those suffering mental illness is to walk with the outcast and rejected often…and really is quite a priviledge from another angle - by far the majority of sufferers are special people…but you have put it beautifully…

Barb

 

[St_Gabriel]

I do not have a mental illness, but I have plenty of friends that do. I am sending prayers for you all to give you strength in your trials. I will be thinking of you at today’s mass.

 

[Mini_gerbel]

Passionists, check out those people, wait there boys. I havent read posts. But idk if they have girl passionists.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Passionists, check out those people, wait there boys. I havent read posts. But idk if they have girl passionists.

Hi MG…I dont get your meaning …can you clarify please?..Barb

 

[kind_bean]

I thank everyone for all of their relies. You were all so kind and thoughtful! You have each said something for me to think and pray about. It is reassuring to see so many people who have bipolar (and other mental stuff) to be doing so well now. Thank you! And thanks to all of you who are praying for us! God bless you all!!

Spiritual Direction can help as well as therapy.

I use to have a spiritual director, unfortunately he passed away last year and I have yet to find a new one. But I have decided to make it a priority.

I’ve found over the years that forcing myself to do my daily routine will help me get out of the mental health ‘downer’ faster and helps keep my life from spiraling into disaster.

This is something that I really need to to. My routine really suffers during my bouts of depression, and I know it only makes me worse.

She said that “spiritual dryness” can be a true gift from God. When we pray… under those circumstances… we must put forth a huge effort to do so (because we don’t “feel” anything); It then becomes an extremely valuable thing… because in our difficulty… we are saying to God… “I love You”. So, praying with spiritual dryness becomes proof of our love for God.

I was like… WOW! Mother went on to say, that we can even thank God for the gift of “spiritual dryness” because He is TRUSTING us with it. I had never thought of it… in this way. It really helped me, a lot. I hope it helps you, too. God bless.

I have heard similar things before, especially from my spiritual director. It is good to hear (rather, read) it again. Thank you for sharing that with me.

I have a 8 x 10 print of this on my bedroom wall to remind me that we are not left alone in suffering and to know I can be with Him there.

I also have that picture next to my bed, so it is the first and the last thing I see. That picture has always brought me comfort.

 

[onaquest]

I prefer not to connect mental illness with demonic possession. It is achemically, physically based illness just like cancer and heart disease or anythinng else out there. If we even try to label it as minor demonic possession we end up ostracizing them and stigmatizing them which shouldn’t be done. Instead we need to give mental health patients the same equal health treatment for their condition as anyone else gets for theirs. Parity.

What is so scary though is that when you are at your weakest and your looking for an answer to the torment. Your left grasping for reality and as we know reality is God, your delusions can take on the appearance of reality that feels as you experience it as being led by something or someone only it is so awful you can’t imagine it as God. I believe for me that it was the exquisite pain that comes from being held close to God. Mental illness molests your whole existence. Leaving you to wonder who is pulling the strings. That to me was the temptation to resist—believing that Satan was in charge.

I’m not resistant to my medication. I know that chemically my mind needs it. I do live in two worlds of prayer, one, I pray for a complete healing. Two I thank God for the medicine and doctors and therapists that keep me healthy. It is a bittersweet prayer to pray for healing for I am so committed to the knowledge that I must take medication for the rest of my life that I’ll never know if my miracle of healing occured until I’m in heaven.

 

[onaquest]

I have also have mental health issues that are at times pretty debilitating.

And yes, it is a problem spiritually. The sense of connection to the Spirit that I have at ‘up’ times feels completely absent during ‘down’ times.

The only thing that works for me when I get in that spot (and I am in it right now) is to keep doing what I am supposed to do even though I don’t want to and it doesn’t feel like it is working.

As far as family life that means doing my daily chores and routine even though I don’t want to do that at all.

In my Christian life that means praying the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day and attending Mass as usual. Even when it feels like it isn’t working, when it feels like I am completely cut off from God and the whole thing is pointless.

I’ve found over the years that forcing myself to do my daily routine will help me get out of the mental health ‘downer’ faster and helps keep my life from spiraling into disaster.

Hope this helps, and I will keep you in my prayers.

I also rely on the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy—In the midst of my torment I was led to praying 911 the Memorare , the Rosary and Divine Mercy. Even in the midst of not being able to trust my own mind, my own prayer impulses, I suffered delusions of being sexually molested by at least twenty people that did not hurt me,I could trust the words of prayer given to me by the church.

 

[onaquest]

I am sending a prayer your ways…

Try not to let it break your heart. remember that God works in mysterious ways. maybe for some reason you were not ready to enter that environment at that time?

Something else I want to mention in this thread is that after I hit what may have been my very low and finally decided to take medication and started getting better… it felt like such a miracle that I actually felt blessed to have been through all those very bad times. Because now I was walking there, feeling sooo very blessed, being able to really really appreciate what other people may just take as normal.

Kathrin

Yes–As though a veil had been lifted. I try to appreciate that I live on both sides of sides of sanity and I am humbled by those that are still living in the torment whether it be MI or addiction.
Thank you for putting into words what had been my joy upon awakening.

 

[fyrefly]

I am in the midst of struggling right now in my clumsy way, and I want to add that it is an eyeopener to read all these posts. I am not the only one, I see. I have had some psychological problems since I was in my one-digits (six or seven) due to some trauma. I grew up in my teens troubled, got married and am still having problems…I have to take meds for what I call perpetual bitchiness, and I go to confession an awful lot. It is a pain to distinguish when or IF I should take communion, and when I leave it off, I feel even more desolate—just terribly alone in this feeling. Sometimes I DECIDE to go to communion as I see Jesus as a Healer, but I won’t go if I have hurt my family too much with my ugly words or despair. I will just go to confession, and say what a jerk I have been. But the thing is-- they are in on why I act the way I do, and more importantly, they know I am trying to change.

So I handle it by just going on.