I also go on INTEREST BINGES which allows me to accumulate a large amount of knowledge in a short amount of time. Right now it's spirituality/pagan practices/etc. Which isn't to say I'm not always interested in these things, just to say that there are times when I take a notion to read many, many books about it.
I do exactly this too. My boyfriend always refers to it as my current obsession. I don't know if that's the best description, because it doesn't consume me, I just get very, very focused on a particular topic and want to know all about it. Most of the time, when I'm done learning about it, I'll drop it like a hot potato. Some topics I'll revisit, usually with less intensity, some I don't revisit at all. I think most topics fall under the same themes though: art, spirituality, nature, etc.
I have general anxiety disorder, and take medication for it. I get really high strung, lots of getting upset and freaking out if I miss a dose. It always seems to take weeks to recover from a missed dose too.
If these interest binges are a symptom of my mental illness, then it definitely helps me connect to the Divine. I think it allows me to focus my energy in a way that would take a lot more training and effort if I didn't have the illness to help me out.