I am 18, and after college I’d like to become a Franciscan friar. I have major depressive disorder with psychotic features (The psychotic features are very minor - you wouldn’t be able to tell if you knew me because they’re mostly hallucinations).
My condition is medically controlled and I’m in therapy.
I really want to go out and spread the gospel and help people. I have been through a whole lot with this condition. I understand the darkest depths of human experience, and I want to help Christians with similar conditions.
Do you think I have a chance of being accepted? Do they do interviews and such?
Thank you
You’ve received many very good replies. I’ll share a few thoughts from a different perspective.
I was in a somewhat similar situation. Although my most serious symptom was not psychiatric in nature, I also had mood or psych difficulties. This kept me from becoming a priest even though I had been a good student in the seminary and had been surprisingly happy and fulfilled during those years. I recently posted a summary in a different discussion.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=13229264#poststop
Please be honest with the doctors and vocation directors. It is important that you get a
good decision. You should not presume what that should be. Be open to God’s will. Recall Mary’s advise to the servant at Cana–cf Jn 2.
In some parts of the world there was a scandal where priests acted very immorally with youth. I wonder how many of them had poorly treated developing mental struggles as contributing factors in their abhorrent behavior. We need healthy priests and religious.
Do your doctors have any idea what is causing the health problems–head injury during car accident, result of a disease or toxin, food sensitivities, a combination of factors including a genetic predisposition?
If someone had asked me that question in the early years I had been sick, my heavy metal problem might have been diagnosed a decade earlier and I probably would have been young enough to return to the seminary.
The doctor whose tip led to the discovery of my heavy metal (HM) problem describes the list of symptoms that were disabling him as a young doctor. He writes that he went to ten other doctors before someone realized HMs were involved in his problems. Now he is a successful author and public speaker.
youtube.com/watch?v=mjnGWSyxWJ0
As Dr Hyman explains in the following talk, depression can have many underlying causes or contributing factors.
youtube.com/watch?v=wkxk7nod33o
One of those can be HMs. You’ll see symptoms lists under the 1000+ hair tests from members of HM detox groups. Notice from the lists and from Dr Hyman’s experience there will be a list of seemingly unrelated symptoms when HMs are involved. Mood problems are usually involved.
livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/hairtest/hairtest3/
I followed the case of this 60 yr old man for several years in a detox support group. He is now a semi retired medical professional but was previously hospitalized for psych problems and lost his job. His recovery is unusual but a good example of someone who did not give up. He continued to look for better answers. He was later hired back to his old job and got a semi promotion.
howirecovered.com/meet-brad-who-recovered-from-bipolar-disorder/
Remember doctors are sometimes limited by insurance companies, medical boards and financial pressures. As you heard from Dr Hyman, they might not mention all possible causes for your symptoms. If your insurance company is paying for a 15 minute visit and some medication, that is what you are likely to receive. I’m not bashing doctors, however, I’d be foolish to ignore the factors that influence their recommendations. I wish I learned this a decade earlier.
I’m not pretending to diagnose your medical problems! I am providing leads and especially encouraging you to look for better answers. If your vocation is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Your life is a gift from God. Do your best to care for it so you can give God glory and share your gifts in the ways God intends for you
ATB
Joe
