Spirituality and mental health: what evidence shows?

Authors

  • Alexander Moreira Almeida Professor de Psiquiatria e Coordenador do NUPES -Núcleo de Pesquisas em Espiritualidade e Saúde da Faculdade de Medicina da UFJF (www.ufjf.br/nupes), Doutor pela USP e Pós Doutor pela Duke University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9135-2532
  • André Lúcio Pinto Coelho Stroppa Membro do NUPES, Professor de Psiquiatria da Faculdade de Medicina da UFJF, Mestre pela Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25118/2763-9037.2012.v2.904

Keywords:

religion, spirituality, psychiatry

Abstract

Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) have become a topic of growing interest among clinicians and health researchers. However, due to lack of training on issues related to the relationship between R/S and health, much of the evidence available is still unknown by many health professionals and many have difficulties in dealing with R/S during clinical practice. This paper presents a brief and practical review of key concepts in R/S that are relevant to the clinician as well as the main evidence on the impact of R/S on mentalhealth. There is a broad, diverse and robust body of evidence indicating the relevance and impact of R/S on health. Studies show that R/S is an important element in the lives of most of the world population, especially among those facing struggles like illness. People with higher levels of R/S tend to have higher well-being and lower levels of depression, substance  buse/dependence, and suicidal behaviors. Although requiring further study, R/S is an aspect in the lives of patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, with evidence suggesting a beneficial impact of R/S on the evolution of these mental disorders. Currently, the research trend is no longer to investigate whether there are relationships between R/S and health, but in identifying the mechanisms of this relationship and how to apply this knowledge in clinical practice.

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Author Biographies

Alexander Moreira Almeida, Professor de Psiquiatria e Coordenador do NUPES -Núcleo de Pesquisas em Espiritualidade e Saúde da Faculdade de Medicina da UFJF (www.ufjf.br/nupes), Doutor pela USP e Pós Doutor pela Duke University

André Lúcio Pinto Coelho Stroppa, Membro do NUPES, Professor de Psiquiatria da Faculdade de Medicina da UFJF, Mestre pela Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

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Published

2012-12-21

How to Cite

1.
Almeida AM, Stroppa ALPC. Spirituality and mental health: what evidence shows?. Debates em Psiquiatria [Internet]. 2012 Dec. 21 [cited 2024 Dec. 19];2(6):34-41. Available from: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/904

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