scholarly journals Suicide as a sin and mental illness: A dialogue between Christianity and psychology

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hundzukani P. Khosa-Nkatini ◽  
Wonke Buqa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theological Interpretation ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Sanctity Of Life ◽  
God's Word ◽  
Theology And Science

Christian doctrine has by and large held that suicide is morally wrong, however in psychology, suicidal tendencies and suicidal ideations are a major health problem, and for every suicide, there are many more who attempt suicide every year. In this article, we seek to advance the knowledge on suicide by identifying particular psychological characteristics and Christian spiritual controversies. This research proceeds to a transversal interdisciplinary conversation where practical theology and psychology reflect their voices about suicide. A transversal interdisciplinary approach articulates that theology and science can share concerns, and converge on commonly identified issues like suicide, although they differ in discipline. We aim to create a dialogue between psychology and the Christian faith concerning suicide. Christianity has always viewed suicide as a sinful act, and anyone who commits suicide would go straight to hell. Even though there are no direct scripture texts on suicide being a sin, biblical texts are used to prove that it is. However, God’s Word makes clear the sanctity of life, thou shall not murder. According to psychology, suicide is a highly complex and multifaceted phenomenon, and amongst others it can be a result of mental illness. We attempt to balance the non-theological interpretation with the theological discipline. This research challenges the Christian ideology of suicide as a sin; this perspective remains a challenge among our fellow ministers. This study is relevant for both theology and psychology because both the disciplines deal with the well-being of people.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The contextual perspective challenged by this research is the understanding of suicide according to theological and psychological perspectives. This research is done using a literature review on suicide according to both Christianity and psychology.

scholarly journals Fight, flight or faith: A pastoral model for spiritual coping

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Le Roux ◽  
George Lotter
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Pastoral Theology ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spiritual Coping ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Stress Appraisal ◽  
Practical Action

This article is dedicated to Professor Gert Breed who had an indelible influence in the expansion of Pastoral Theology in South Africa: first as minister, and second as Professor in Practical Theology. In line with Professor Breed’s keen interest in the interdisciplinary approach between Theology and, for instance, Physiology and Psychology, the main aim of this article is to show how utilising spiritual coping strategies could help the Christian to cope with stress from a faith perspective. Spiritual coping was defined as an individual’s ability to utilise faith in God and Judeo-Christian religious beliefs, as well as active practices to appraise, understand and effectively cope with stressful life events. A literature study was conducted on human defence response and spiritual coping to demonstrate the adverse effects of chronic defensiveness and stress. Spiritual coping was assessed from a scriptural approach to determine what biblical perspectives regarding coping, defensiveness and spirituality may be revealed. Effective coping strategies were explored to indicate how positive spiritual coping skills could be utilised as an alternative to chronic defensives. The Believe-Belong-Behave pastoral model was proposed for the utilisation of spiritual coping methods and skills that could improve psychophysiological well-being. The Believe-Belong-Behave model consists of three categories that each highlight different individual skills, corporate practices, and practical action steps, which, when applied consistently, could all function in harmony to promote psychophysiological well-being. The components of the proposed pastoral model could offer a harmonious contribution towards spiritual coping and the Christian’s spiritual formation within the local church.Contribution: This article assessed theological perspectives and biblical practices within the basic tenets of Reformed theology to identify resemblances to stress appraisal and human defensiveness throughout the historical course of Scripture. This study in Practical Theology highlighted the importance of combining a strong scriptural or theological foundation with certain practical skills to respond to stressors from a faith-in-action perspective. The proposed pastoral model showed the modern-day Christian how faith in God could be used to cope with stress more effectively.

Mental illness related discrimination: The role of self-devaluation and anticipated discrimination for decreased well-being.

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18
Author(s):  
Oliver Schauman ◽  
Andrew K. MacLeod ◽  
Graham Thornicroft ◽  
Sarah Clement
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Well Being

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in smear negative sputum by PCR

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 2-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jobayer ◽  
SM Shamsuzzaman ◽  
Kazi Zulfiquer Mamun
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Pulmonary Tuberculosis ◽  
Accurate Method ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Tuberculosis Patients ◽  
Diagnostic Potential ◽  
Total Death ◽  
Smear Negative ◽  
Negative Sputum

Pulmonary tuberculosis is a major health problem in Bangladesh that is responsible for about 7% of total death in a year. This study was conducted to isolate and identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputum and to evaluate the efficacy of PCR as a modern diagnostic tool, for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, especially in the smear negative cases. One hundred and fifty suspected pulmonary TB patients (male/ female: 97/53) were included in this study. Single morning sputum was collected from each patient and diagnostic potential of PCR was compared with staining and culture. Twenty five (16.7%) sputum were positive by ZN stained smear. Among 125 smear negative samples, 13 (10.4%) yielded growth in culture in LJ media and 21 (16.8%) samples were positive by PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR in smear negative cases was 100% and 92.9% respectively. Mean detection time in PCR was 24 hours. PCR detected M. tuberculosis in 21 smear negative and 9 culture negative samples. For diagnosis of tuberculosis in smear negative cases, PCR directly from sputum was a very sensitive and accurate method. In conclusion, PCR may be done, especially in clinically suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients who remain negative by conventional methods.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjmm.v6i2.19368 Bangladesh J Med Microbiol 2012; 06(02): 2-6

Prevention and Treatment of Early Childhood Caries (ECC)

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey .
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Early Childhood Caries ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Missing Teeth ◽  
Optimal Basis ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Childhood Caries

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a chronic disease that can be prevented. It commonlyaffects children involving in one or more decayed (with lesions or not) teeth, missing teeth (dueto caries), or teeth with fillings in children aged under 71 months. The disease is sometimesoverlooked, but this condition usually affects the general health of children. Early detection ofEarly Childhood Caries (ECC) can prevent problems which are harmful to children. Therefore,the ECC must be prevented and for teeth that have had dental caries they should be givenproper treatment so as not to worsen and affect the quality of life in children. Prevention of thisdisease is a significant component in any health program to prepare for the optimal basis forthe oral health of children. This condition will become a serious health problem if not handledproperly, and it is a major health problem for health providers throughout the world.Primarypreventive must be initiated since a woman getting pregnant.Keywords: Early Childhood Caries (ECC), prevention, treatment

Salivary and Serum Biochemical Alterations in Patients with Acute Viral Hepatitis

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 747-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Gabriela Badita ◽  
Iulia Ioana Stanescu ◽  
Andra Balcangiu Stroescu ◽  
Dan Piperea Sianu ◽  
Daniela Miricescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Hepatitis ◽  
Hepatitis A ◽  
Hepatitis A Virus ◽  
World Population ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Biochemical Alterations ◽  
B Virus ◽  
Serum Biochemical ◽  
Viral Hepatitis A

Viral hepatitis represents a major health problem worldwide. Approximately 1.4 million people are infected with hepatitis A virus every year, although given that most of the cases evolve asymptomatically the real number could be even higher. At the same time, hepatitis B virus affects up to 30% of the world population and represents one of the main causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, it is very important to understand the physiopathology of viral hepatitis A and B not only for the diagnosis, but also for the therapeutic protocol. The present research aimed to determine if HAV and HBV can alter serum and salivary levels of total protein and of 2 important electrolytes: calcium and potassium.

Imaging of Bacteria: Is there Any Hope for the Future Based on Past Experience?

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 772-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ebenhan ◽  
Elena Lazzeri ◽  
Olivier Gheysens
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Sterile Inflammation ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Implanted Medical Devices ◽  
Neutropenic Patients ◽  
Socio Economic Impact ◽  
Made In

Infectious diseases remain a major health problem and cause of death worldwide. It is expected that the socio-economic impact will further intensify due to escalating resistance to antibiotics, an ageing population and an increase in the number of patients under immunosuppressive therapy and implanted medical devices. Even though radiolabeled probes and leukocytes are routinely used in clinical practice, it might still be difficult to distinguish sterile inflammation from inflammation caused by bacteria. Moreover, the majority of these probes are based on the attraction of leukocytes which may be hampered in neutropenic patients. Novel approaches that can be implemented in clinical practice and allow for swift diagnosis of infection by targeting the microorganism directly, are posing an attractive strategy. Here we review the current strategies to directly image bacteria using radionuclides and we provide an overview of the preclinical efforts to develop and validate new approaches. Indeed, significant progress has been made in the past years, but very few radiopharmaceuticals (that were promising in preclinical studies) have made it into clinical practice. We will discuss the challenges that remain to select good candidates for imaging agents targeting bacteria.

Wogonin Alleviates Hyperglycemia Through Increased Glucose Entry into Cells Via AKT/GLUT4 Pathway

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 2602-2606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahzad Khan ◽  
Mohammad A. Kamal
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Chronic Hyperglycemia ◽  
Main Factor

: Insulin resistance and type 2 Diabetes mellitus resulting in chronic hyperglycemia is a major health problem in the modern world. Many drugs have been tested to control hyperglycemia which is believed to be the main factor behind many of the diabetes-related late-term complications. Wogonin is a famous herbal medicine which has been shown to be effective in controlling diabetes and its complications. In our previous work, we showed that wogonin is beneficial in many ways in controlling diabetic cardiomyopathy. In this review, we mainly explained wogonin anti-hyperglycemic property through AKT/GLUT4 pathway. Here we briefly discussed that wogonin increases Glut4 trafficking to plasma membrane which allows increased entry of glucose and thus alleviates hyperglycemia. Conclusion: Wogonin can be used as an anti-diabetic and anti-hyperglycemic drug and works via AKT/GLUT4 pathway.

Management of Prameha with Mustadi Kwatha - A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Akshay H. Malshikare ◽  
Dr. Sharada Chikurte
Keyword(s):  
Type Ii Diabetes ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Ayurvedic Medicine ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Uncontrolled Diabetes

Diabetes is a major health problem in whole world. In spite of many drugs available, uncontrolled diabetes remains a challenge. Moreover, some anti-diabetic drugs are on the verge of withdrawal due to its adverse effects. So, there is an acute need for a new effective and safe drug. So in this case study we used Ayurvedic medicine ‘Mustadi Kwatha’ mentioned in Bhaishajya Ratnawali in Prameha Chikitsa. A single case study was done on use of Mustadi Kwatha on Type II Diabetes Mellitus. Significant reduction was seen in blood sugar level fasting and post-prandial.

Understanding and promoting students’ well-being and performance in university studies – effects of a 7-week Acceptance and Commitment Therapy based course (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henna Asikainen ◽  
Nina Katajavuori ◽  
Kirsikka Kaipainen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
University Students ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Reflective Journal ◽  
Reflective Journals ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
And Performance

BACKGROUND Internationally there have been many studies showing that the number of university students suffering from mental illness is growing and this problem should be addressed OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine 41 pharmacy students’ experiences of a small Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) -based intervention that was implemented as a 7-week course with weekly online modules. METHODS Students’ well-being, experiences of stress, organised studying and psychological flexibility were measured with questionnaires at the beginning and end of the course. Students’ experiences of the effectiveness of the course and were analysed from open-ended responses and a reflective journal. RESULTS The results show that students’ well-being and ability to manage time and effort increased during the course(p≤0.003). In their reflective journals, students described how their ability to manage stress in their studies, cope with their thoughts and feelings, focus on the things that are more important to them, and manage their time in studying and their well-being had improved. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that it is possible to foster students’ well-being in their studies. More research is needed to identify the long-lasting effects of these kind of interventions.

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