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The impact of spiritually-oriented therapy on the rehabilitation of mentally ill patients with a religious worldview

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2025

A. Magay*
Affiliation:
Mental Health Research Centre, Moscow, Russian Federation

Abstract

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Introduction

Spirituality and religiosity have a significant effect on mental health. Biopsychosocyospiritual model in psychiatry is used in multiple researches in Europe and Russia as well (Hefti 2013; 24(2) 119-129). Many patients use religious beliefs and actions to cope with mental disease (Tepper et al., 2001; 2(5) 660-665). The pathological religiosity phenomenon determining the severity of mental disease is described (Borisova 2020; 120(1) 103-110). Spiritually-oriented therapy methods are aimed at pathological religiosity correction and assist in mental well-being achievement.

Objectives

To assess the effect of spiritually-oriented therapy on mental health of religious patient during comprehensive rehabilitation.

Methods

42 patients with endogenous mental schizophrenic and affective spectrum disorders who participated in comprehensive rehabilitation using spiritually-oriented therapy (26 women and 16 men) were examined. There were used psychometrical (SF-36, PIL, Schwartz Value Survey – SVS, B-RCOPE) and statistical methods.

Results

In a therapeutic environment in the religious community, 42 patients received psychopharmacological treatment and participated in multimodal rehabilitation throughout the year. Psychoeducational, art-therapeutic, spiritually-oriented modules were used in rehabilitation. 13 (31%) ceased the rehabilitation early, 29 (15 women and 14 men) underwent the entire rehabilitation. 73% of them had a pronounced improvement in quality of life indicators, 84% had a meaningfulness of life increase, a transformation of value system with the dominance of “security,” “kindness” and “traditions”, a higher cohesion of values. Rehabilitated patients had a more harmonious religiosity structure with a predominance of inner religiosity, they used religious behavior to cope with the disease which correlated with a decrease in the intensity of pathological religiosity manifestations.

Conclusions

The use of spiritually-oriented therapy methods in the rehabilitation of mentally ill patients with a religious worldview promote to correct the manifestations of pathological religiosity and to cope with mental disease. Patients have a qualitative and quantitative change in value system and religious beliefs, mastering adaptive styles of religious behavior. Spiritually-oriented therapy methods are not an alternative to natural religious life, but complement it, taking into account the existing mental disorders.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Information

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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