A circuit interrupting device comprising: one or more line terminals (39, 40) for connecting to an external power supply; one or more load terminals (37, 38) for connecting to an external load; an interrupting device connected to said line terminals (39, 40) and said load terminals (37, 38) and electrically connecting said line terminals (39, 40) to said load terminals (37, 38) when said circuit interrupting device is in a reset condition and disconnecting said line terminals (39, 40) from said load terminals (37, 38) when said circuit interrupting device is in a tripped condition, wherein said interrupting device includes contacts; a fault detection circuit configured to detect a fault condition and generate a fault detection signal when said fault condition is detected, and provide said fault detection signal to said interrupting device to place said circuit interrupting device in said tripped condition; and an auto-monitoring circuit electrically coupled to said fault detection circuit and said interrupting device, said auto-monitoring circuit being configured to continuously monitor one or more signals to determine an operating state of said circuit interrupting device, wherein at least one of said monitored signals includes said fault detection signal, wherein said auto-monitoring circuit is also configured to receive said fault detection signal at an input-output port; wherein said auto-monitoring circuit is also configured to determine that said fault detection circuit is not properly driving said interrupting device, determine that said circuit interrupting device has reached its end-of-life characterized in that the auto-monitoring circuit is configured to determine that contacts of said interrupting device have not failed, and drive a signal to a first level to open the contacts, and drive said signal to a second level to inhibit said circuit interrupting device from resetting when it is determined that contacts of said interrupting device have failed, and wherein said auto-monitoring circuit is configured to prevent said circuit interrupting device from being put into said reset state by providing a reset prevention signal from said input-output port and convert an input-output port receiving said fault detection signal from an input to an output and drive said circuit interrupting device into said tripped condition using said input-output port. one or more line terminals (39, 40) for connecting to an external power supply; one or more load terminals (37, 38) for connecting to an external load; an interrupting device connected to said line terminals (39, 40) and said load terminals (37, 38) and electrically connecting said line terminals (39, 40) to said load terminals (37, 38) when said circuit interrupting device is in a reset condition and disconnecting said line terminals (39, 40) from said load terminals (37, 38) when said circuit interrupting device is in a tripped condition, wherein said interrupting device includes contacts; a fault detection circuit configured to detect a fault condition and generate a fault detection signal when said fault condition is detected, and provide said fault detection signal to said interrupting device to place said circuit interrupting device in said tripped condition; and an auto-monitoring circuit electrically coupled to said fault detection circuit and said interrupting device, said auto-monitoring circuit being configured to continuously monitor one or more signals to determine an operating state of said circuit interrupting device, wherein at least one of said monitored signals includes said fault detection signal, wherein said auto-monitoring circuit is also configured to receive said fault detection signal at an input-output port; wherein said auto-monitoring circuit is also configured to determine that said fault detection circuit is not properly driving said interrupting device, determine that said circuit interrupting device has reached its end-of-life characterized in that the auto-monitoring circuit is configured to determine that contacts of said interrupting device have not failed, and drive a signal to a first level to open the contacts, and drive said signal to a second level to inhibit said circuit interrupting device from resetting when it is determined that contacts of said interrupting device have failed, and wherein said auto-monitoring circuit is configured to prevent said circuit interrupting device from being put into said reset state by providing a reset prevention signal from said input-output port and convert an input-output port receiving said fault detection signal from an input to an output and drive said circuit interrupting device into said tripped condition using said input-output port.