The wishes of outpatients with severe mental disorders to discuss spiritual and religious issues in their psychiatric care

Abstract

Objective. In a previous multisite comparative study of spiritual and religious coping (S/R) among outpatients with schizophrenia; S/R were adaptive for 80% of patients; harmful for 13%; and marginal for 7%. This importance was underestimated by clinicians. We created an interfaith therapeutic group to address such topics. The aim of the study is to assess patients’ wish to address S/R issues in their psychiatric care. Method. Psychiatrists asked consecutive outpatients about their wish; with who they shared S/R concerns; and their interest to enroll in the “Spiritual and Recovery Group”. Results. Among the 147 patients included less than half shared their spiritual concerns with other people. A quarter wished to address S/R issues in their care; 24/147 already shared those issues with a religious professional; half of them wished also to share them with their psychiatrist. Among the 21 patients who participated in an in-depth spiritual assessment 16 patients were directed to the S/R group and 5 patients were directed to groups addressing other therapeutic objectives. Conclusion. For one patient out of ten, S/R issues were of a clinical significance warranting integration into psychiatric treatment. This study shows that patients’ views are in accordance with former research, putting forward psychiatrists’ stance on this issue.

Key words::

• Spirituality
• religion
• severe mental disorders
• psychiatric care
• recovery

Acknowledgments

None.

Statement of interest

None of the authors reports conflicts of interest.

The research was supported by the Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland.