Mental Illness symposium 9 th October, 2014 Spirituality And Mental Health

1. Mental Illness symposium9th October, 2014Spirituality And Mental Health Dr. J. K. Mutiso

2. Mental Heath and Spirituality Do not seem to have much in common But there is increasing awareness Aspects of spirituality offer benefits for Mental Health All healthcare strives to relieve pain and suffering But good healthcare tries to do more Focuses on the person not just the disease A person includes body, soul, spirit

3. Spirit Body Soul

4. Body interacts with environment via five senses • Touch • Sight • Hearing • Smell • Taste

5. Soul interacts with others and society • Mind… thought processes • Volition…decision making • Heart…emotional state

6. Spirit • Gives meaning and purpose • People’s deepest values • Holds out hope and healing in loss • Connects with the beyond • Interaction with the spiritual world.

7. Some Scholarly Articles • “Recent studies have found that spirituality may serve as a psychological and psychosocial resource for coping with stress:” Koenig H. G. (Spirituality and mental health) International journal of psycho-analysis 2010.

8. Some Scholarly Articles • “ A person's sense of spirituality informs his or her awareness of self and the society around them, and is intrinsic to their mental well-being” Swinton J. (Spirituality and mental healthcare: rediscovering of a “forgotten” dimension) 2012.

9. Some Scholarly Articles • “all along, the majority position of psychiatry has been that psychiatry has nothing to do with spirituality. Religious beliefs and practices have long been thought to have pathological basis and psychiatrists have understood them in this light…”Verghese A. (Spirituality and mental health). Indian Journal of Psychiatry 2010.

10. Kenneth Pargament 2013 • Leading expert in psychology of spirituality • Editor-in-chief, “APA Handbooks of Psychology, religion and Spirituality”(2013) • Empirical studies of many groups dealing with • Major stressors • Natural disasters • Illness And loss of loved ones • Divorce • Serious mental illness

11. Kenneth Pargament 2013 • Show spirituality is helpful to people in coping • Especially where resources are fewest • Or problems are uncontrollable

12. Kenneth Pargament 2013 • Positive spiritual coping methods • Spiritual support from God • Rituals to facilitate life transitions • Spiritual forgiveness • Support from religious institutions/clergy • Reframing stressors into a benevolent system of meaning

13. Kenneth Pargament 2013 • For mental health workers unfamiliar with spirituality he advises, “put their toes in the water.” • “Ask their clients a question or two about their spirituality.” • “Communicate your own interest in spirituality • Large majority of mental health workers receive no training in spirituality • This has to change!

14. People with mental health problems need: • To feel safe and secure • To be treated with dignity and respect • To feel they belong and are valued • To make sense of their life and illness • To develop their relationship with God

15. Benefits of spirituality in Mental health • Faster/easier recovery in some cases (e.g. grief) • Better relationships with • Self • Others • God • Environment • Nature

16. To facilitate spirituality one needs: A time, place and privacy to worship Reassurance that mental health workers respect spirituality Encouragement in faith – chaplaincy Sometimes – be helped with forgiveness

17. Place of Chaplaincy/Pastoral care • Times have changed • Chaplains are increasingly part of healthcare teams • CPE = Clinical Pastoral Experience • Get on well with local clergy and faith communities • Work closely with them • Make referrals when appropriate

18. Further Reading • Barker P. & Buchanan-Barker P. (Eds). (2003) Spirituality and Mental Health: Breakthrough.Whurr. • Butler-Bowen T. (2006) 50 Spiritual Classics. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. • Cook, C., Powell, A. & Sims, A. (Eds) (2009) Spirituality and Psychiatry. RCPsych Publications. • Coyte M. Gilbert, P. & Nicholls V. (Eds.) (2007) Spirituality, Values and Mental Health: Jewels for the Journey. Jessica Kingsley. • Culliford L. (2007) Love, Healing and Happiness. O Books. • Fontana D. (2003) Psychology, Religion and Spirituality. BPS Blackwell. • Forest J. (2007) The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life.Orbis Books. • Galanter M. (2005) Spirituality and the Healthy Mind: science, therapy, and the need for personal meaning. Oxford University Press. • Kabat-Zinn J. (2004) Wherever You Go, There You Are.Piatkus Books. • Koenig H.G. (2013) Spirituality in Patient Care: Why, How, When, and What, West Conshohocken, PA, Templeton. • Kornfield J. (1994) A Path With Heart. Rider. • Nataraja S. (2008) The Blissful Brain. Gaia Books. • Post S. & Neimark J. (2007) Why Good Things Happen to Good People. Broadway Books. • Royal College of Psychiatrists (2013) Recommendations for psychiatrists on spirituality and religion. • Scott Peck M. (1997) The Road Less Travelled. Rider. • Swinton J. (2001) Spirituality and Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a Forgotten Dimension.Jessica Kingsley. • Whiteside P. (2001) Happiness: The 30-Day Guide. Rider.

19. Websites • The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group • The Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy website has valuable information about traditions, symbols, teachings and practices of nine world religions. • The National Spirituality and Mental Health Forum - an independent registered multi-faith charity.For additional resources, try typing ‘spirituality and health’, or ‘spirituality and psychiatry’ into an internet search engine.

20. References • Anandarajah G. & Hight E. (2001) Spirituality and Medical Practice: using the HOPE questions as a practical tool for spiritual assessment. American Family Physician, 63, 81– 92. • Cook C.C.H (2009) Substance Misuse. In Cook, C., Powell, A. & Sims, A. (Eds) Spirituality and Psychiatry 139-168 RCPsych Publications. • Cook C.C.H. (2013) Controversies on the Place of Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatric Practice. In Cook C.C.H. (Ed.) Spirituality, Theology and Mental Health, London, SCM, 1-19. • Craigie F.C. (2008) Positive Spirituality in Health Care. Minneapolis, Mill City. • Culliford L. (2002) Spirituality and Clinical Care. British Medical Journal. 325:1434-5. • Culliford L. (2007) Taking a Spiritual History. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 13, 212-219. • Culliford L. (2009) Teaching Spirituality and Healthcare to 3rd Year Medical Students. The Clinical Teacher, Volume 6, Issue 1, pages 22-27, March 2009. • Eagger S. (2005) ‘A guide to the assessment of spiritual concerns in mental healthcare’. • Faulkner A. (1997) Knowing our own minds. London: Mental Health Foundation. • Gilbert P. & Nicholls V. (2003) Inspiring Hope: Recognising the Importance of Spirituality in a Whole Person Approach to Mental Health. London: National Institute for Mental Health in England. • Gilbert, P. (2009) Introducing compassion-focused therapy Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 15, 199-208. • Koenig H., McCullough M., & Larson D. (2001) Handbook of Religion and Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press. • Neely D. & Minford E. (2009) FAITH: spiritual history-taking made easy. Clinical Teacher. 6: 181-185. • Swinton J. (2002) Spirituality and the Lives of People With Learning Disabilities. The Tizard Learning Disability Review. 7, 4: 29-35. • World Health Organization. (1998) WHOQOL and Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs: Report on WHO Consultation. Geneva: WHO.