Religion and Spirituality as Relevant Dimensions in Psychiatric Patients—From Research to Practice

Abstract

Background: Associations between psychiatric syndromes and religion/spirituality (R/S) are confounded by a diversity of descriptive instruments, the interpretation of statistical correlations, and the highly individual experience of illness. Method: This presentation focuses on three major syndromes in psychiatric patients: (a) delusions with religious content, (b) depressive conditions, and (c) anxiety disorders. Results: The content of delusions is marked by cultural factors, including religious concepts. There is empirical evidence that R/S may have a supportive role in patients with schizophrenia. Affective disorders show a more varied pattern of causality—a better outcome in about 60%, but in 10%, there seems to be a higher incidence in patients with a conservative, guilt-oriented, religious background. In anxiety disorders, a meta-analysis could not find a correlation between R/S and clinical syndromes. However, research into the emerging field of “spiritual struggles” has shown an interaction between subjective anxieties and religious conflicts, strongly influenced by the level of neuroticism beyond religious factors. Conclusions: The correlation of R/S and dysfunctional psychological experience may be summarized in three concepts (culture, conflict, and coping), modulated by the neurobiological basis of psychiatric disorders.