MENTAL HEALTH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SPIRITUALITY

While it is true that ‘curiosity killed the cat’, but when your thirst for knowledge demands that you take the bullet, it is worth pursuing only if the outcome outweighs the danger. Today I snooped into Psychiatry field with the sole purpose to quench my curiosity of knowing if there is any relationship between mental health and spirituality. What I found explains why patients are required to declare their religious affiliation on the forms that they fill before meeting the doctor.

There are enormous scientific evidences supporting the relationship between spirituality and mental health. In brief, allow me to share five points that caught my interest. First, the spiritual background of the patient will help in the diagnosis of psychiatric disturbance. Second, spirituality is important in the prognosis of psychiatric conditions. This is the reason why in the spiritual perspective, a differentiation must be made between cure and healing. Cure is the removal of symptoms. Healing is the healing of the whole person. Additionally, spirituality produces in man qualities such as love, honesty, patience, tolerance, compassion, a sense of detachment, faith, and hope. Third, psychiatric symptoms can have a religious content. Fourth, the loss of interest in religious activities is a common symptom of depression. Finally, patients who have mental problems are cured by a broader approach that psychiatrists call “Bio-psycho-socio-spiritual model.” The approach is very effective because it goes beyond cure and aims at healing.

My message to all pastors is that it is high time we broaden our approach in helping our church members. Some problems that church members go through can be curbed by partnering with other professionals. One of the major norms in pastoral counseling is making referrals and connecting clients with other entities. Referrals help your clients meet other professionals who can address areas that are outside your scope of practice. However, assure them that prayer and trust in God plays a bigger role in their spiritual well-being and mental health.