Bipolar Disorder and Sin

[shawnhd45]

I have not been officially diagnosed yet, but expect to be soon. I have a family history of mental illness and I have been classified with anxiety, depression, and panic disorders. I have known for years of the hypomania I have had, but allowed my pride to step in the way and tell the Dr. I was fine or that nothing else was going on...I Was afraid to lose this feeling of intelligence I have. The manic highs are so hard to explain, it seems like I know so much about life , but can't explain it to others. I don't feel like I'm God at all, but can see how things work in very minute details (hard to explain)

This leads me to mortal sin and the 3 conditions of it, the consent of will for me seems to never really be there, because I know I suffer from compulsive, hyper-sexual, and other behaviours when I'm in the mood... so my question is this. Do you we just trust that God knows us, since He created us, and trust that He knows our psychological makeup? Confession is good and all, but many times I don't feel I need to go , because I know I'm not thinking clearly or in a manic swing when I commit certain sins. thanks!

Blessings
Shawn

[donsnow]

Good afternoon, Shawn,

You really need to ask a priest this.
In the meanwhile, I can only speak for my self.

In my personal pilgrimage I have, by the grace of God and correct medication, over come some compulsive behavior. The behavior was sinful and I went to confession. In my mind, my medical condition does not, not, excuse any sinful behavior or thoughts. So, now that I physically behave, I still go to confession about my sins of the heart.

I believe it's in the New Testament book of James, where he says, "Confess thy faults one to another."
I think that much of the grace of God abounds in the Confessional, and the priest is another to whom we may make confession. Because, in the early Church, they did confess to one another without the Confessional booth.

God loves you,
Don

[shawnhd45]

Hello Don,

Well for a mortal sin to be truly a mortal sin there are three conditions that must take place...1. grave offense, 2. knowledge that it is a grave offense, 3. the consent to commit the sin.

In the CCC it says, that habits, duress, psychological problems, etc; can diminish mortal sins. People who suffer from bipolar disorder, especially in their manic moods are NOT consenting fully. I can still see things being a sin, but venial at best. I think the added worry about if it is mortal or venial can be harmful for some with bipolar Disorder.

"The Church recognizes, for example, that in the practice of masturbation, psychological factors including adolescent immaturity, lack of psychological balance, and even ingrained habit can influence a person's behavior, and this could lessen or even eliminate moral responsibility."

Shawn

[donsnow]

Good morning, Shawn,

I didn't know that. I guess I have a scrupulous conscience.

You probably haven't seen my earlier posts. I was invited to this thread, although I'm not bi-polar: I have Major Depression Recurring for a diagnosis as well as Post Trauma Syndrome.

So, thanks for correcting me.

God loves you,
Don