Religion (and spirituality) is very much alive and shapes thecultural values and aspirations of psychiatrist and patient alike,as does the choice of not identifying with a particularfaith. Patients bring their beliefs and convictions into thedoctor-patient relationship. The challenge for mental healthprofessionals, whatever their own world view, is to develop andrefine their vocabularies such that they truly understand what iscommunicated to them by their patients. Religion andPsychiatry provides psychiatrists with a framework for thisunderstanding and highlights the importance of religion andspirituality in mental well-being.
This book aims to inform and explain, as well as to be thoughtprovoking and even controversial. Patiently and thoroughly,the authors consider why and how, when and where religion (andspirituality) are at stake in the life of psychiatricpatients. The interface between psychiatry and religion isexplored at different levels, varying from daily clinical practiceto conceptual fieldwork. The book covers phenomenology,epidemiology, research data, explanatory models and theories. It also reviews the development of DSM V and its awareness of theimportance of religion and spirituality in mental health.
What can religious traditions learn from each other to assistthe patient? Religion and Psychiatry discusses this,as well as the neurological basis of religious experiences. It describes training programmes that successfully incorporateaspects of religion and demonstrates how different religious andspiritual traditions can be brought together to improve psychiatrictraining and daily practice.
* Describes the relationship of the main world religions withpsychiatry
* Considers training, policy and service delivery
* Provides powerful support for more effective partnershipsbetween psychiatry and religion in day to day clinical care
This is the first time that so many psychiatrists, psychologistsand theologians from all parts of the world and from so manydifferent religious and spiritual backgrounds have worked togetherto produce a book like this one. In that sense, it truly is a WorldPsychiatric Association publication.
Religion and Psychiatry is recommended reading forresidents in psychiatry, postgraduates in theology, psychology andpsychology of religion, researchers in psychiatric epidemiology andtrans-cultural psychiatry, as well as professionals in theology,psychiatry and psychology of religion