Actually, it could be both. As I am not Roman Catholic, I don’t have a dog in this particular hunt, but consider this:
Your former girlfriend knew that the meds helped her in controlling her condition, yet on numerous occassions, she chose to stop taking them. Why? I submit that it could be satan or one of his minions telling her that she was OK and didn’t need them anymore and that they affected her badly. As I suffer from depression, I know that when one focuses on depressive thoughts, it can change the brain chemistry and neural pathways, so it becomes more difficult to get ‘out’ of the depression. I suspect something similar for bi-polar vis-a-vis the pathways and brain chemistry. I also know that when I am weakened by such negative thoughts, the lies from the evil one multiply.
There IS a spiritual battle going on all around us. satan and his demons hate God and everything to do with God. The Bible tells us that we are created in God’s image, so all satan and his demons see, is God’s image when they encounter us; therefore, humans are hated by satan and his congregation. satan is brighter than any human and knows that a ‘direct’ attack will fail, so the ‘deciever’ attacks through deception, causing doubt about any and everything that is good, or of God.
My Bible tells me that satan ‘comes only to steal, kill and destroy’. I used to wonder how a non-corporeal being could ‘steal, kill, and destroy’, and what it was that he wanted to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. Among non-Believers, he most wants to steal their chance at Salvation. Amongst Believers, since he can no longer steal their Salvation, he wants to steal and destroy their faith in Jesus and therefore, their joy, and their belief that God is good, making living a ‘task’ rather than a ‘joy’. Look at Job. A righteous man, he lost his family and wealth, and was reduced to living in a trash dump, scraping his pus-oozing sores with broken pot-shards!
In some small way, I can relate to Job, though not much to the ‘righteous’ part, nor scraping my flesh with pot-shards, thank God! In the last four years, I lost my marriage, my career, my credit rating and, likely in January, my house and dogs. I have let satan run amok in my mind at times, doubting God’s love and praying for a quick end to my pitiful existence. Eventually, I realise that God is allowing these trials for a purpose, though I sure wish the ‘testing’ would end soon!
The mind IS a battlefield between God and the deceiver. Sin legally opens the door to attack from satan. I believe that satanic attacks often do lead to illnesses of many varieties, especially the mind.
I write this, perhaps more for me, than for anyone who may read this.
A very reflective and repentant testimonial. May God Bless You and Guide You to Fulfill his Plan through you.
Nay I suggest to you Imitation of Christ a medieval classic by Thomas a Kempis, a monk who gave deep thought to these matters. There is a great deal in that work that is relevant to every Christian of whatever denomination and perhaps every person who is not Christian but believes in God.
As a now recovering attorney, I remember when I was active and represented 1100 arrested pro-lifers including many who were of other Christian faiths that were not Catholic. They had generally given much deeper consideration to interior conversation with God and to spiritual warfare in God's service than I had before representing them. I owe them much.
May God bless you and yours!