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When you feel too depressed to do anything, is that a good enough reason not to clean your house? When you feel too scattered with psychotic thoughts, is that a good enough reason not to go to school or work? When your mind is in the clouds with mania, does that justify not doing the dishes, or does it justify not preparing a meal? When your psychotic anger is brimming up to your ears, is that enough of a reason to remain locked in your room, against the wishes of others?

Do symptoms of mental illness justify not doing what is expected and/or necessary?

For a guide to answering this question, look to the idea of cause and effect. What will be the projected scenario of delaying something or not doing it? What will you get if you overcome the hesitancy? There is no right or wrong answer to either of these questions. 

Sometimes you must prioritize your wellness and not do as someone, including yourself, expect you to do. You risk consequences if you fail to do as someone expects. They may express anger and/or disappointment. They may retaliate. It is different in all cases. They may understand and they may be supportive of you taking time to take care of yourself. 

If you push it too hard to accomplish something, you might be risking your well-being. Stroke and heart attack are at the top of the list. Or you might sustain nonphysical damage which is much harder to measure and define. 

I've been in medical waiting rooms packed with ill patients in which it was damaging to me just to be in that place for forty-five minutes. This is because I am sensitive to environments. I don't know whether you would attribute that to energy, as I am inclined to do, or some other cause. The influence of spending time around too many sick people is genuine and shouldn't be dismissed or underestimated. This is also explainable through other routes including ones that only allow beliefs supported by currently known science. 

You could get an airborne virus in these settings. Or you could be subliminally influenced by conversations that you overhear or influenced by people's physical appearances. You could be influenced by being stuck among too many people packed together, a cause of stress. It does not go against science that people's stamina is limited, and we need to balance exertions against rest. 

Psychological damage exists even though it may not be easy to measure. Science doesn't know a great deal of what causes it, and how to understand its effects on us. If you push your mind and body harder than advisable, you don't always get rewarded for more and more "work ethic." Sometimes you do damage to yourself such that you become unable to function at the previous level. 

Contrary to the classic "work ethic" I assert that human beings aren't machines that should be expected to function under all circumstances. We are made of soft stuff--all of us with no exceptions. We need to be gentle on ourselves or risk consequences. 

Back to cause and effect... 

Does it make sense to put off taking out trash, doing a load of laundry, brushing your teeth, doing a bit of work at your school or job? Sometimes it does make sense. And other times, you just have to perform even though you'd rather not deal with it. There is no exact rule. That's because people are complicated, and the world is complicated. The world doesn't follow the rules that human beings make up to explain it. If it did, we'd be living in a cartoon and not in the world. 

Jack Bragen is author of "Revising Behaviors that Don't Work," available from numerous vendors.