Religion, spirituality and psychiatry

Abstract

Several studies have shown that patients with psychiatric disorders frequently seek religious or spiritual guidance from clergy and other religious figures (Larson, Hohmann, Kessler, Meador, Boyd and McSherry, 1988).A systematic review of research on religion in four major psychiatric journals has also documented the same findings (Weaver, Samford, Larson, Lucas, Koenig and Patrick, 1998). In fact, patients with chronic and severe mental illnesses are just as likely to seek help from a religious figure as from a mental health professional (Pierre, 2003; Weaver, Flannelly and Oppenheimer, 2003). For instance, following the World Trade Center terrorist attack of 2001, 60% of the people contacted a religious counselor compared to 40% who contacted a mental health professional to cope with the emotional impact of the tragedy (American Red Cross, 2002). Similar statistics have also been found with the victims of the natural disaster related to hurricane Katrina (Berggren, 2005). This chapter will review the importance of the religious and spiritual assessment as a component of care for medical and psychiatric patients. It will also summarizes the psychiatric symptoms that can be a manifestation of religious or spiritual problems. Evidence suggesting the importance of incorporating religion and spirituality into the training of psychiatrists will be also reviewed. The chapter will conclude with some specific recommendations for mental health professionals when they address religion and spirituality in their clinical practice.