medication?

[stuckinamo]

anxiety is something i've struggled with for a long time. i used to take paxil for it, but stopped because someone said that anxiety disorder/ OCD was selfish and sinful -- or something to that sort. so i stopped taking the medication and prayed about it. it has gotten better and i was realyl fine over the summer, but now that school has started again i'm having a really hard time and keep having anxiety attacks. this is a cross i have carried since i was a small child. i was just wondering if someone could clarify if it is sinful, and if i should not take the medication? thanks & God bless.

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
9/24 - Twenty-fifth Saturday

stuckinamo,

Trust me, it's ok to take anti-anxiety medication. Just go with me on this one. Hope this helps.

Yours,
Pio Nono

[phatcatholic]

[quote name='stuckinamo' date='Sep 24 2005, 06:36 PM']anxiety is something i've struggled with for a long time.  i used to take paxil for it, but stopped because someone said that anxiety disorder/ OCD was selfish and sinful -- or something to that sort.  so i stopped taking the medication and prayed about it.  it has gotten better and i was realyl fine over the summer, but now that school has started again i'm having a really hard time and keep having anxiety attacks.  this is a cross i have carried since i was a small child.  i was just wondering if someone could clarify if it is sinful, and if i should not take the medication?  thanks & God bless.
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sinful? that's ludicrous!!! generalized anxiety disorder and OCD/OCPD almost always have a biological component that [i][b]requires[/b][/i] medication. you didn't decide one day to become anxious or obsessive. w/ disorders like this, it usually just happens. there is simply no guilt involved on your part.

i suggest medication in conjunction w/ counseling. in my opinion, neither medication or counseling is enough by itself. instead, the two aid each other to help you become healthier. also, while there is often a biological factor, environmental factors play a role, especially if certain stimulii make you more anxious than others. counseling will help you learn what to do when you become anxious to calm yourself down. if you obsess over things, then counseling will also help you to achieve more balance in your life. of course, prayer is essential, so u should keep that up as well.

the only time i can think of where sin would be involved is if you are constantly telling yourself, "God can't help me, my problems are too great for Him, He doesn't care enough about me to help me, why would God help me?" and thoughts like that. however, if you are not equipped to handle these thoughts (for example, if no one has ever taught you how to deal with them, to combat them w/ positive self-talk and with prayer) or if these thoughts come as a result of a pathological disorder, then you are only held accountable to the degree with which you can actually do something about it. from the catechism:

[b]1860[/b] Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, [i][b]as can external pressures or pathological disorders[/b][/i]. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.


however, once you take advantage of the tools that are avaiable to cope with these thoughts, then you would want to resist thinking like that as much as possible. you may fall back into thinking like that as a result of the severe degree of anxiety/depression/obesession you have to cope with. this i think is ok, as long as you continue to try and combat it. you CAN combat it. mood disorders are by far the most amenable to counseling.

finally, note that it is not the disorder that is sinful, but the thought that goes along with it. so, one should certainly never say, "i am a sinner b/c i am anxious" or "i am a sinner b/c i am depressed."

i hope that helps

pax christi,
phatcatholic