Religion, Spirituality and Psychiatry: Conceptual, Cultural and Personal Challenges

1996 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 720-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Turbott
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Scientific Medicine ◽  
Interdisciplinary Dialogue ◽  
Ultimate Concern ◽  
Health Demands ◽  
Personal Challenges ◽  
And Training

Objective: Recent psychiatric literature and contemporary sociopolitical developments suggest a need to reconsider the place of religion and spirituality in psychiatry. This paper was written with the aim of encouraging dialogue between the often antithetical realms of religion and science. Method: Material from psychiatric, sociological and religious studies literature was reviewed, with particular emphasis on New Zealand sources. Results: Despite the secularising effects of science, the presence and influence of ‘religiosity’ remains substantial in Western culture. The literature emphasises the central importance of religion and spirituality for mental health, and the difficulty of integrating these concepts with scientific medicine. Psychiatric tradition and training may exaggerate the ‘religiosity gap’ between doctors and patients. In New Zealand, the politically mandated bicultural approach to mental health demands an understanding of Maori spirituality. Conclusions: Intellectual, moral and pragmatic arguments all suggest that psychiatry should reconsider its attitude to religion and spirituality. There are many opportunities for research in the field. Psychiatry would benefit if the vocabulary and concepts of religion and spirituality were more familiar to trainees and practitioners. Patients would find better understanding from psychiatrists, and fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue about mutual issues of ‘ultimate concern’ might ensue.

scholarly journals The Development of a Recovery-Oriented Mental Health System in Canada: What the Experience of Commonwealth Countries Tells Us

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra Piat ◽  
Judith Sabetti
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Consumer Participation ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Health Strategy ◽  
National Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Policies ◽  
And Training ◽  
Oriented System

This article examines how the recovery concept has been introduced into national mental health policies in New Zealand, Australia, and England. Five overall themes are identified as critical in shifting to a recovery-oriented system: restructuring of mental health services, promoting mental health and preventing mental illness, developing and training the workforce, cultivating consumer participation and leadership, and establishing outcome-oriented and measurable practices. These issues are vital in the uptake of recovery and should guide the overall direction of the Canadian Mental Health Commission's mental health strategy.

Religion and spirituality in mental health

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelic Chaison ◽  
Daryl Fujii ◽  
Nancy Cha
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Religion And Spirituality

PASIFIKA FUTURES WHĀNAU ORA: F’INE – Nurturing the Future for Pasifika LGBTQI

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saneta Manoa ◽  
Phylesha Brown-Acton ◽  
Tatryanna Utanga ◽  
Seini Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
The Future ◽  
Specific Provider

F’INE Aotearoa, through Pasifika Futures Whānau Ora programme, is supporting Pacific Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) individuals and their families to transform their lives and achieve their aspirations.  The LGBTQI community in New Zealand experience significant disadvantage across a range of areas affecting wellbeing, including higher rates of poor mental health, depression and anxiety 1,2,3. For Pacific LGBTQI, the disadvantages are compounded further.  F’INE, an LGBTQI specific provider in New Zealand, is working to change this.

Is Pacific language ability protective of prevalence of mental disorders among Pacific peoples in New Zealand?

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirenei Taua'i ◽  
Rose Richards ◽  
Jesse Kokaua
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
Language Promotion

Aims: To explore associations between experiences of mental illness, migration status and languages spoken among Pacific adults living in NZ. Methods: SURVEY FREQ and SURVEY LOGISTIC procedures in SAS were applied to data from Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand (NZ) Mental Health Survey, a survey of 12,992 New Zealand adults aged 16 and over in 2003/2004. Pacific people were over sampled and this paper focuses on the 2374 Pacific participants but includes, for comparison, 8160 non-Maori-non-Pacific (NMNP) participants. Results: Pacific migrant respondents had the lowest prevalence of mental disorders compared to other Pacific peoples. However, Pacific immigrants were also less likely to use mental health services, suggesting an increased likelihood of experiencing barriers to available mental health care. Those who were born in NZ and who were proficient in a Pacific language had the lowest levels of common mental disorders, suggesting a protective effect for the NZ-born population. Additionally, access to mental health services was similar between NZ-born people who spoke a Pacific language and those who did not. Conclusions: We conclude that, given the association between Pacific language and reduced mental disorder, there may be a positive role for Pacific language promotion in efforts to reduce the prevalence of mental health disorder among Pacific communities in NZ.

Gender Nonbinary Mental Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 295-304
Author(s):  
Lore M. Dickey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Native American ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Global South ◽  
Additional Research ◽  
American People ◽  
Psychological Literature ◽  
Nonbinary Gender ◽  
And Training ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Minority

In this chapter the author explores the mental health of those with nonbinary gender identities and focuses on the issues they face. The author defines nonbinary identities and discusses how these identities are different than people who have binary identities. There is a summary of the extant psychological literature focusing on people with nonbinary identities. Attention is also brought to how racial and ethnic minority individuals, including Native American people, conceptualize nonbinary identities. The chapter ends with information about the lack of attention to the Global South and the need for additional research and training in the mental health of those with nonbinary identities.

Behavioral Emergencies and Crises

2010 ◽  
pp. 739-762
Author(s):  
Phillip M. Kleespies ◽  
Justin M. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
High Risk Patients ◽  
Risk Patients ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Behavioral Emergencies ◽  
And Training

This chapter illustrates the mental health clinician’s relationship with behavioral emergencies. The chapter begins by distinguishing the terms behavioral emergency and behavioral crisis, and underlying themes among all behavioral emergencies are identified. Given that most clinicians will face a behavioral emergency in their careers, the importance of enhancing the process of educating and training practitioners for such situations far beyond the minimal training that currently exists is highlighted. The chapter continues by exploring various aspects of evaluating and managing high-risk patients (i.e., those who exhibit violent tendencies toward themselves or others, and those at risk for victimization). It includes a discussion of the benefits and limitations to estimating life-threatening risk factors and specific protective factors. The chapter concludes by discussing the emotional impact that working with high-risk patients has on clinicians, and an emphasis is placed on the importance of creating a supportive work environment.

scholarly journals Disenchantment, Buffering, and Spiritual Reductionism: A Pedagogy of Secularism for Counseling and Psychotherapy

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Waleed Y. Sami ◽  
John Mitchell Waters ◽  
Amelia Liadis ◽  
Aliza Lambert ◽  
Abigail H. Conley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Case Vignettes

The various mental health disciplines (e.g., counseling, psychology, social work) all mandate competence in working with clients from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds. However, there is growing evidence that practitioners feel ill-equipped to meet the needs of their religiously- and spiritually-diverse clients. Furthermore, formal education on religion and spirituality remains optional within coursework. Research on religion and spirituality is also noted for its reductionism to observable outcomes, leaving much of its nuance uncovered. This paper will utilize philosophies of secularism and explore the concepts of disenchantment, buffering, and coercion, to help illuminate why our contemporary society and our disciplines struggle with this incongruence between stated values and implementation. Case vignettes and recommendations will be provided to help practitioners and educators.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document