Psychiatrists & Religion

My post about Friday’s workshop implied that psychiatrists are likely to be intolerant of Pagan religious views that seem too abnormal.  At least, that’s what some of the therapists at the workshop seemed to think.

 However, Kelly sent an interesting article entitled “Psychiatrists: Least Religious but Most Interested in Patients’ Religion“.  A few interesting quotes:

  • “Although psychiatrists are among the least religious physicians, they seem to be the most interested in the religious and spiritual dimensions of their patients, according to survey data published in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.”
  • Farr Curlin, MD said “several recent studies have found that religiosity is often associated with improved mental health outcomes such as quicker recovery from depression. Now most training programs teach developing psychiatrists about the potentially beneficial influence of religion and spirituality on patients’ mental health.”
  • “Psychiatrists are twice as likely (46% versus 23%) as other physicians to say that patients often mention spiritual issues. They are also much more likely to both say that it is appropriate to ask patients about spiritual concerns (93% vs 53%)

I wonder what the Pagan implications of this are?  Would talking with a goddess or dancing around a fire be psychotic or positive religious behavior?

What are some of your experiences with psychiatrists?  Do you think they are tolerant towards religion in general?  Towards Pagan religions?  (Please do not post specific identifiable information about either the client or the psychiatrist — keep stories general and brief.  Thanks.)

The article can be found at: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/536093/?sc=dwhp

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