Religious and Spiritual Factors in Depression

“There are certainly many factors that influence the risk of depression besides R/S, including genetic, developmental, and environmental factors. However, in the majority of studies, everything else being equal, R/S involvement is related to less depression, particularly in the context of life stress. The systematic review discussed above indicates many more studies show possible benefits from R/S compared to those that show possible harm (61% versus 6% of studies). Nevertheless, a number of high-quality studies show that R/S involvement may increase the risk of depression in certain populations (those with family problems) or may worsen the prognosis of depression (a single study in substance abusers). Interventions that utilize the R/S beliefs of patients have been tested in randomized clinical trials and shown to reduce depressive symptoms, and clinical trials are now examining the effects of religious psychotherapy against standard therapies [62]. R/S involvement appears to be related to depression in way or another. Given the worldwide prevalence of both R/S and depression, the frequent use of R/S as a coping behavior and reported effectiveness, and the serious disability that depression causes, researchers and clinicians need to better understand how R/S impacts mental health and vice versa.”

[ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

“Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation.”

[ajp.psychiatryonline.org]

“In contrast to the scholarship supporting the linear model of belief in God and mental health, findings from some studies have suggested that certainty of the belief that God exists or certainty of the belief that God does not exist is more pertinent than the belief itself. That is, regardless of the content of the belief, it is the certainty of that belief that influences well-being; uncertainty itself is distressing (McNulty et al. 2004). These studies have found a curvilinear relationship between belief and well-being such that those with greater certainty in their belief—either in the existence of God or the non-existence of God—had higher well-being relative to those who were less certain or doubtful (Galen and Kloet 20; Krause 2006; Paterson and Francis 20).”

“These findings suggest that meaning in life, feeling comforted by God, and healthy coping strategies for most of the variance in the relationship between belief in God and depression. Individuals with a greater belief in God had a greater sense of meaning in life, which in turn was associated with less depression. This finding is consistent with the broader literature showing that meaning in life functions as a mediator of the effect of religiosity on mental health (Park 2007).”

[mdpi.com]

“Many people suffering from the pain of mental illness, emotional problems, or situational difficulties seek refuge in religion for comfort, hope, and meaning. While some are helped, not all such people are completely relieved of their mental distress or destructive behavioural tendencies. Thus it should not be surprising that psychiatrists will often encounter patients who display unhealthy forms of RS involvement. In other instances, especially in the emotionally vulnerable, religious beliefs and doctrines may reinforce neurotic tendencies, enhance fears or guilt, and restrict life rather than enhance it. In such cases, religious beliefs may be used in primitive and defensive ways to avoid making necessary life changes.
However, systematic research published in the mental health literature to date does not the argument that religious involvement usually has adverse effects on mental health. Rather, in general, studies of subjects in different settings (such as medical, psychiatric, and the general population), from different ethnic backgrounds (such as Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, and Native American), in different age groups (, middle-aged, and elderly), and in different locations (such as the United States and Canada, Europe, and countries in the East) find that religious involvement is related to better coping with stress and less depression, suicide, anxiety, and substance abuse. While religious delusions may be common among people with psychotic disorders, healthy normative religious beliefs and practices appear to be stabilizing and may reduce the tremendous isolation, fear, and loss of control that those with psychosis experience. Clinicians need to be aware of the religious and spiritual activities of their patients, appreciate their value as a resource for healthy mental and social functioning, and recognize when those beliefs are distorted, limiting, and contribute to pathology rather than alleviate it.”

[journals.sagepub.com]

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