The Connection Between Spirituality and Mental Health - A Mental Health Consultant's View

Spirituality has been defined as the belief and practices that develop based on personal values and ideology of the meaning and purpose of life as part of a larger scheme. It refers to the belief that there is a power outside of one's own that transcends understanding.

For many individuals, identifying with a religion and having religious beliefs influence their spirituality. However spirituality is not confined to those who belonged to organized religion or have religious beliefs. People can develop spirituality without practicing a particular religion or believing in the powers of a supreme being. However, whatever is the nature of their spirituality, many individuals achieve a sense of inner peace and harmony as well as emotional fulfillment by believing that life has a purpose. Consequently a breakdown in spirituality can have a negative impact on one's mental well-being.

In my view spirituality and religiosity are interrelated with religiosity focusing on the external expressions of spirituality or faith. In other words religious practices can foster spirituality while spiritual practices could involve aspects of religious participation.

The a key issue here is that whether changing their lives to improve the health or dealing with the recovery from a health problem, people with strong spiritual/religious belief benefit from the foundation of confidence and purpose that their beliefs provide.

Now let's look at the three dimensions of spirituality. They are:

a. making personal meaning out of situations

b. coming to an understanding of self

c. appreciating the importance of connection with others.

Spirituality/religion then may be considered a mechanism of social support, positive coping, and decision-making, avoidance of substance abuse, and help in times of stress.

In one study conducted with 211 African-American college students, researchers found that students with religious, intrinsic, or extrinsic religious orientations were more likely to engage in health promoting behaviors, including eating well, reporting symptoms to a physician, and using stress management techniques. Higher worship attendance frequently was associated with a lower risk for the development of mood, anxiety, and substance disorder.

It has also been found that people who make religion a significant part of their life are 81% less likely to battle anxiety and depression and is more likely to have confidence that they can recover from an illness.

It is important therefore for practitioners working in the area of mental health to provide the patient which opportunity to engage in dialogue about the role of spirituality/religion in their lives. Such questions as: Is religion or faith important part of your life? How has religion influenced your past and present? Are you a part of a spiritual or faith community? and, Are there spiritual needs you would like to explore or discuss? After exploring these questions, the practitioner can then move on with an appropriate intervention.