From a recent article in Forbes:
It is estimated that approximately one in four people globally will experience mental illness during their lives, with about one billion individuals facing mental health disorders at any given time. Whether we’re talking about anxiety, depression, loneliness or some other diagnosable illness, it’s clear that individuals, families and communities are being greatly affected by the mental health crisis. But that also presents an opportunity to learn more about what impacts health, as well as how our care system can better meet the needs of patients.
Given that approximately 70% of individuals experiencing mental illness do not receive necessary treatment, it’s clear there is a breakdown in access to and communication about mental health. And one area that this has proven exceptionally misaligned, if not outright antagonistic, is between religion/spirituality and health care.
According to Pew Research Center, 84% of the world’s population identify with a religious group in some way. And, based on a recent Gallup report titled Faith and Wellness: The Worldwide Connection Between Spirituality & Wellbeing there are ways in which spirituality can help address the global mental health crisis. In fact, an analysis of Gallup’s World Poll data over ten years, over 140 countries and nearly 1.5 million people interviewed, shows a strong association between religiosity and wellbeing. In the exploration, the ways spirituality (a broader term than a religious identification) can potentially help address mental health needs concluded that, “A growing body of medical and psychological research demonstrates that people with a stronger spiritual or faith commitment often have better health and wellbeing outcomes than those without such a devotion.”
Faith plays an important role in how people think about a personal sense of purpose, which can lead to lower rates of depression and anxiety. Harold G. Koenig of Duke University conducted a systematic review and found that religiosity and spirituality are, “positively related to optimism, self‐esteem, hope, coping with adversity and lower levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and psychotic disorders.”
