[Noodles_320]

Does faith/religion play a major part of your life as someone with BP? Good/bad experiences?

I will try and be brief with my story. I was introduced into a Pentecostal Church around age 12 (fire and brimstone, speaking in tongues, dancing in the isles...no snakes ). Completely freaked me out especially when I was going through a depressive episode. I was basically taught all sinners are gonna die and go to hell, well I am screwed. The only saving grace for me in the experience is when I was suicidal, I did not want to go to hell so that thought kept me from acting on my thoughts.

Years later I moved to a Baptist Church (very level, mild, taught the word of God instead of the fire and brimstone). Made much more sense to me. Did a great deal of therapy with the Pastors wife who is an LCSW and she really put things into perspective and reversed a lot of the views I had developed from my childhood experiences in the Pentecostal Church.

Just curious about others experiences.

[live2ski66]

I think faith/religion plays a part in our conditions only if you believe it does. I was forced up Catholic. I don't believe that the Catholic God is going to cure me if I pray every night. On the other hand, the rest of my relatives are very Catholic and pray for everything under the sun.

My reaction to faith/religion is the same as my reaction to non-traditional treatments. Maybe herbs, acupuncture, tinctures, better diet, more exercise etc will help alleviate the symptoms, but I'm not giving up pharmaceuticals in exchange. I believe in pharmaceuticals and take them religiously.

Hope that helps.

[BipolaRNurse]

I am a practicing Catholic who finds a great deal of comfort in faith. I think God put this challenge (BP) in my life for a reason, and so I've never really prayed to be released from it.....it doesn't work that way. And I believe He works through other people, and that includes scientists and doctors and therapists---even drug manufacturers.

I have noticed that I tend to have some hyper-religiosity when I am manic, and when I'm depressed it feels like God is so far away that I can't find Him. But overall, I feel my faith helps me cope better with my illness, and indeed all of life.

[Victoria'smom]

I'm athiest except for the small time I thought I had emaculetly conserved and needed to become a nun right before I decided I needed to be with god in hevin. I grew up going to catholic religion class, alliance Church on Sunday with my ideal believing in new age type of things. I think BP drew me further from religion.

[Noodles_320]

Originally Posted by live2ski66

I think faith/religion plays a part in our conditions only if you believe it does. I was forced up Catholic. I don't believe that the Catholic God is going to cure me if I pray every night. On the other hand, the rest of my relatives are very Catholic and pray for everything under the sun.

My reaction to faith/religion is the same as my reaction to non-traditional treatments. Maybe herbs, acupuncture, tinctures, better diet, more exercise etc will help alleviate the symptoms, but I'm not giving up pharmaceuticals in exchange. I believe in pharmaceuticals and take them religiously.

Hope that helps.

What role did, if any being forced play? I was also forced into the Pentecostal

[BlackPup]

I grew up atheist and it fueled my depressive episodes. Became evangelical Christian in early 20's and it made the depressions endurable. Christianity has helped me become more resistant and resiliant to depression.

[venusss]

If it wasn't for my spirituality, I'd probably given up long ago.

[Noodles_320]

Thanks for the replies...its nice to hear different perspectives.

[jesusplay]

I think religion and mental illness do not mix.

I've met plenty of schizophrenics and bipolars and it seems it only worsens their condition and or make them more delusional.

I am Lutheran and my faith is hugely important in my life. It provides me the balance and strength to get through my difficult times. It provides a church family for support and understanding. It keeps life in perspective.

[r010159]

Participating in organized religion has not worked for me. But seeing to my spirituality has helped allot.

[Theseus]

Organized, traditional and congregational religion does not work for me either. I'm basically a deist but I draw from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity. I believe in a number of deities who guide me, help me, watch over me and keep me going. When things seemed totally lost, somehow I received completely unexpected help from the strangest sources. I keep going if for no other reason than to not be ungrateful to the deities for their efforts and help.

[Standup2me]

It gives me comfort to know that a Higher Power gave us so many amazing things and that these gifts need to be respected.
Confusing, I know
What I mean is that we were given birds, so that we stop and listen to the songs and know that the Higher Power gave them to us

[venusss]

Originally Posted by jesusplay

I think religion and mental illness do not mix.

I've met plenty of schizophrenics and bipolars and it seems it only worsens their condition and or make them more delusional.

I disagree. It's been proven atheists are more miserable then people who believe in something.

[Trippin2.0]

Faith gives me something tangible to hold onto when in the depths of despair. Humility keeps me thankful and reminds me of everything good in my life, and last but not least, hope gives me something to look forward to.

I'm not a practicing anything really, organised religion does not my personality suite.

Jesus and I however have a good relationship and that's all that I need regarding my faith.

I think people who claim that faith makes their MI worse possibly have a skewed belief system or perception. Or I think they may be embracing it from the wrong angle, and that's what leads to even more misery in the end...

My road of faith has been a rocky one at times, yes in part fuelled by bipolar. But all it really took to repair my relationship with Christ was a fresh perspective.

You wanna know what it is?

God is not my own personal genie.

[r010159]

Originally Posted by Standup2me

It gives me comfort to know that a Higher Power gave us so many amazing things and that these gifts need to be respected.
Confusing, I know
What I mean is that we were given birds, so that we stop and listen to the songs and know that the Higher Power gave them to us

IMO this is a good disposition to have. Thank you for reminding me what is important. We are truly blessed, in a spiritual way.

[Mickey4333]

Growing up, I do not think the word "God" was ever mentioned in our household. In my teen years, I was an atheist, but was always questioning it. Then I saw a miracle, of which only God could do so I started to BELIEVE. I am not, however, very confident or compliant in my, or any, religion. I have tried going to different churches but was very, very uncomfortable being there. Same with talking to preachers or to people who preach alot. I have tried reading Bibles (even the easy-to-read ones) and it makes no sense to me. I seldom pray and sometimes go months without thinking of him but always when I do something wrong (as in lie), I hope God will not punish me. I feel like a failure because I believe I have let Him down and not obeyed. I am scared that because of my lack of, or disobedience in, faith, I won't get to go to heaven. I hope and pray that God helps me to be stronger in my faith, to forgive me for all wrongs, and allows me into heaven when I die.

Sorry for the lengthy babbling. To answer the question, no, I do not believe my own personal religion actually helps or hinders my illness but I do believe that people with a strong religious background (overall) tend to be more confident in themselves and their surroundings. This maybe helpful when trying to get through depression.

I was brought up strict Catholic until 8, then moved to a Lutheran church until I went to an Anglican boarding school. As I grew older and had more depressive episodes I started to waver in my belief of god. Now I do not believe in God in the biblical sense, but I believe in the universe and that there is a higher power at work.

I still worry that if I suicide, I will go to hell, but when I am depressed I cant imagine hell being all that much worse.

Faith in god has helped many of my mentally ill friends. But their faith never wavered like mine did. They manage to believe and pray to him in even their lowest points. I tend to ask for help but I dont know exactly who I am talking to. I do believe there is some kind of power, whether it be in positivity or what, Im not sure. But at times I have had my "prayers" answered. It never comes soon enough with the depression though!

I do wonder how much my catholic upbringing has affected me as an adult, I carry a lot of guilt. I think it is something we will get to in therapy eventually.

[redbandit]

Originally Posted by VenusHalley

If it wasn't for my spirituality, I'd probably given up long ago.

same here!

[justbeingme80]

I was raised Catholic. I try to go to church, but I just can't do it. I know I have a lot of faults and hope that God won't punish when I die. The church I went to had so many things that I had trouble with including people telling me that God is punishing me by causing me to have a MI or that it was caused by not praying enough.

I want to go to church, but I haven't found one I really feel like I fit in. I try to pray when I can and I hope I'm doing it right, if there is even a right way. I just pray for a forgiving God.

I tend to get hyper-religious when manic--I mean completely over the top nuts here. I want to go to church if I can find one where I fit in, but when those thoughts come I worry if I am becoming manic.

[outlaw sammy]

THIS IS A COOL TOPIC!

I was raised a Catholic, became a Lutheran, then an Anglican, then a Methodist, then an agnostic (i.e. nothingness), and after a long road came back to Catholicism. I'm not going to preach to anyone, but I will say, without my Father in my life, I wouldn't be writing this reply. Incidentally, I have type I rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, some dissociative amnesia, and PTSD.

[medicalfox]

I was raised baptist and my family was super into it when I was young. I really cared about my beliefs as a child until I felt forsaken after all the abuse happened to me and when I developed so many illnesses. I never understood why I had such a horrible childhood, I feel like I'm being punished for something that I didn't do.

I really want to belong to something that is kind of religious like maybe Buddhism since it appeals a lot to me. I still believe in a higher power, but I'm not exactly sure who that higher power is.

[Hbomb0903]

I hear people tell me to trust in God and he will heal me. Well I've done that truly in my life and to lesser extents, like now, but my mind still betrays me. It makes it hard to believe.

[Trippin2.0]

Originally Posted by Hbomb0903

I hear people tell me to trust in God and he will heal me. Well I've done that truly in my life and to lesser extents, like now, but my mind still betrays me. It makes it hard to believe.

Yep, did you see my post? People also had me believing God was my personal genie and when God didn't do what I asked, I would either feel unworthy or ashamed that I was doing "it" wrong...

Its illogical to think that God will heal me from a lifelong disorder just because I ask.
I mean, logically if this was a common occurrence there should be no such thing as a lifelong/terminal illnesses, because we could all just pray away every disease and disorder under the sun...

What is beautiful about faith though, is that I can trust Him to comfort and guide me through the darkness. This way my struggles aren't always so lonely, scary and seemingly neverending, because regardless of what I feel, or think, I don't for 1 minute BELIEVE that I'm alone.

[BipolaRNurse]

Here are a couple of verses to a favorite song that really speaks to me as a Christian with bipolar.

"Blessed be Your name, when the sun's shining down on me,
when the world is all as it should be
blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name, on the road marked with suffering,
though there's pain in the offering
blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise,
When the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name......"