Religion, Spirituality, and Ethics in Psychiatric Practice

Charles C. Dike, Laura Briz, Matthew Fadus, Richard Martinez, Catherine May, Richard Milone, Ariana Nesbit-Bartsch, Tia Powell, Ashley Witmer, Rebecca Weintraub Brendel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The interface of religion, spirituality, and psychiatric practice has long been of interest to the ethical psychiatrist. Some prominent early psychotherapists had a strained relationship with religion and spirituality. They posited that religion and spirituality were forms of mental illness, which discouraged the discussion of these values during treatment despite the fact that many patients subscribed to a religious or spiritual viewpoint. Contrarily, others supported a harmonious relationship with religion and spirituality and served as trailblazers for the incorporation of religion and spirituality into psychiatric treatment. As the field of psychiatry continues to evolve, additional dimensions of the relationship between religion, spirituality, and psychiatric practice must be explored. Today, many modern psychiatrists appreciate the importance of incorporating religion and spirituality into treatment, but questions such as whether it is ethical to practice psychiatry from a particular religious or spiritual viewpoint or for psychiatrists to advertise that they subscribe to a particular religion or spirituality and to engage in religious or spiritual practices with their patients remain nuanced and complex. In this resource document, the authors put forth and examine the ramifications of a bio-psycho-social-religious/spiritual model for psychological development and functioning, with this fourth dimension shifting the focus from symptom reduction alone to include other aspects of human flourishing such as resilience, meaning-making, and hope.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)557-563
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Volume210
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2022

Keywords

  • Spirituality
  • ethics
  • mental illness
  • psychiatric practice
  • psychiatrists
  • religion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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