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Is a mental illness a sign that I might not be called?

Michelle asks:

I am a young woman contemplating a religious vocation. A few months ago, I was turned down for a vocation retreat when I told the particular community (contemplatives) that I had a mental illness. It is a social anxiety disorder, the effects of which are taken care of for the most part by medication, so I live a very ordinary life now. If I am being called to the religious life by the Lord, I feel that it may be to a contemplative community. Is such a call, if any call at all, impossible? Is my illness a sign by God that I am not called? I would be willing to follow God's will either way.

Dear Michelle, 

There are several elements that need to be taken into consideration in searching for an answer to your question. You have to consider the nature and depth of the illness you suffer from, the nature of the medication (and its secondary effects), your doctor's prognosis, the particular policies of individual orders, to name the most obvious.  

You must also consider the fact that if you suffer from a social anxiety disorder, there is at least the possibility that the silence and prayer of contemplative life might seem like a very attractive relief to you. From the outside it is difficult to realize just how demanding the contemplative life is, and it requires pretty robust mental health.  

I would recommend that you gather full information on your condition (mostly, the points I mention in the first paragraph above) and then speak over a period of time with the vocation directresses of several contemplative convents. If they all tend to dissuade you from pursuing the contemplative vocation, you can be pretty sure that this is a sign from God that it is not your calling. If any of them do encourage you, make sure to tell them that other convents have tried to dissuade you, just to be honest and get a balanced opinion.

Type your question here to search the responses in the AnswerBase. If you don't find an answer, send your question to Fr Bannon online...
  
                                                                                                                                                                                                       
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