According to Kevin Culligan, O.C.D, manic depression can mimic the behavior of someone growing in her spiritual life.
Hey, that’s great news for me! The next time I get manic and tell an inappropriate joke to a colleague, I can say that I’m just getting closer to God, that’s all.
Here’s what he has to say, Keith Egan’s book, Carmelite Prayer: A Tradition for the 21st Century…
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This is a great article that doesn’t denounce the reality of spiritual experience but also allows for the opportunity to look for factors that could be mimicking the behavior of it. I have seen this happen. This put words to many thought that I had over the years.
Enormous misperceptions have developed in recent years about the symptom criteria for Bipolar Disorder. People with Bipolar Disorder have to have at least one episode of elevated, expansive or irritable mood LASTING AT LEAST A WEEK. (At least four days for hypomania). Folks with manic symptoms have great difficulty functioning while symptomatic.
It seems to me that folks who are engaged in spiritual disciplines to help them grow closer to God are going to exhibit “the fruits of the Spirit”, resulting in an improved ability to function.
Folks may be euphoric, joyful, demonstrate more willingness to serve God and more spontaneity in worship, but they’re NOT generally going to experience the DYSFUNCTION associated with mental illness.
BTW…I’m a child and adolescent psychiatrist serving in a ministry that provides free training, consultation and resources to churches everywhere willing to serve, welcome and include families of kids with “hidden disabilities”, like bipolar disorder, ADHD, anxiety, attachment disorders, autism etc.
I have noticed that increased interest in spiritual things almost always accompanies a manic episode with me. Conversely, when I am depressed I abandon spirituality.
Don’t forget, though, that when many people received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on Pentacost, that observers thought they were drunk when actually they were all elated in the Spirit and it was a gift from God. Book of Acts.
Argh, this was SO embarassing for me to read. In the past I’ve stood on street corners handing out tracts. I’ve designed and printed my own tracts for special occasions. I’ve been certain that the second coming was happening soon (even as I type this I find myself worrying that it will happen any minute, and I’ll be left behind because I’m bringing it into disrepute) and I’ve given lots of money away to good causes. So… there’s three for three.
I know a lot of my religious experience has been genuine, but how can I persuade others of that with my diagnoses? (schizoaffective disorder)
I wonder how this explanation of imbalanced spirituality coincides or differs with compulsive religiosity, a manifestation of OCD that is sometimes known as Religious Scrupulosity. I’ve found that I can have a compulsive quality to my own religious involvement that I’ve found quite embarrassing when I come out of it and I can see it’s really out of balance. I go to extremes – when I come out of it I throw it all away. Maybe it’s this manifestation of Bipolar instead? I don’t have many of the other symptoms of Bipolar that I can see really, other than depression.
I have Bipolar I & to me I don’t think it should preclude me being spiritual or just believing in God-are you talking about being extremely religious being pathological(I’m not)?I think not.I also have borderline TLE which is also asssociated with spiritual experiences so is it being suggested that spirituality is a new disorder cause if it is a lot of people have it & they’re not suffering as much if they didn’t believe in anything & maybe it gives them hope & strength.I don’t that is a bad thing & thank God for it!!!