Saturday, May 15, 2004
Studies show faith lessens depression's power
A growing body of scientific evidence about the role of spirituality in mental health, especially in the prevention and treatment of depression, supports centuries of anecdotal evidence.
Several studies have looked at the role of spirituality in preventing depression, but recent studies suggest those who are intrinsically spiritual recover from depression more quickly and have less severe depressive symptoms.
Spirituality has become a more accepted topic for inquiry among secular psychotherapists and psychologists.
"There has been a lot of writing on that lately in more secular, mainstream kinds of publication," says Christopher Wilgers, a psychologist who has a Christian counseling practice. "I've even seen it in popular magazines like Psychology Today and other secular publications."
A study conducted at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill followed 87 people over the age of 60 who were diagnosed with depression after being admitted to the hospital. Patients who scored higher on tests that measured "intrinsic religiosity" recovered from depression faster than those with lower scores, even after other factors were controlled for. Tests measuring "intrinsic religiosity" focus on a person's internal spiritual life, rather than religious activity such as prayer, meditation or attending church.
A review of 147 previous studies, published in 2003 by researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of Miami, found that "religiousness" in people consistently was related to lower levels of depressive symptoms. The association was stronger in studies of people who were under stress because of recent events.
"Depression is rooted in hopelessness, helplessness and meaninglessness," Wilgers says. "(With spirituality) people are able to see there is a purpose in what is happening to them."
However, spirituality alone is often not enough to help someone overcome depression, he says.
"People have work to do. Sometimes they have the hard work of grief to do," Wilgers says. "A lot of people have a biochemical imbalance. ... A lot of people do need medication."
Depression can be both a mental-health and a spiritual problem, says Gen Kelsang Losel, registered teacher at the Heruka Buddhist Center in Fort Collins, Colo.
"We believe that cause of suffering is the uncontrolled mind," Losel says. "If we can come to recognize negative minds and delusion and if we recognize virtuous states of mind, our mind is more peaceful and we are naturally happier," Losel says.
She highlights two recent studies that found areas of the brain associated with good mood and positive feelings are more active in Buddhists who meditate regularly than in the population as a whole.
As positive as spirituality can be for people who are struggling with certain kinds of mental-health issues, for a few people, religious beliefs can act as an obstacle to healing, Wilgers says.
"Some people will come in and think their depression is a spiritual condition when they may have a biochemical imbalance, probably inherited. Some people think it's a character flaw and they just need more faith, when they need some medicinal help," Wilgers says. "With them, I say the road is a harder road. There are definitely times when I think (spirituality or religion) gets in the way."
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