News Release, 26 April, 2002
A new report from the Mental Health Foundation calls on mental health services to recognise the importance of spirituality and religious beliefs in people's lives, and for religious communities to be accepting of people's experience of mental health problems.
Taken Seriously, which is based on interviews and discussions with 27 mental health service users in Somerset with an interest in religious or spiritual beliefs, will be launched at a seminar in Glastonbury on May Day (Wednesday 1 May 2002). The research was conducted by people with personal experience of using mental health services.
The report highlights the potentially narrow line between hallucination and vision, which could lead to people either being seen as "psychotic" or "spiritual" depending on the interpretation of their experiences. It recommends that acute psychiatric wards should have a safe space set aside for spiritual or religious contemplation or practices, and that this should have texts and pictures available appropriate to local faith communities. The report found that chaplains were seen as particularly helpful and should have more time available, but also stressed that there should be more attention paid to developing a wider spiritual or religious knowledge in other staff, including training psychiatric nurses and support workers.
"I have had a bad experience with psychiatrists. They will tell me it's all in the mind… it's anxiety or depression, and they don't understand what's going on in me… many of them have secular ways of thinking. They're not spiritually orientated."
"Spiritual or religious beliefs are important to many people, particularly at times of crisis," said Vicky Nicholls, Strategies for Living project co-ordinator, Mental Health Foundation. "Mental health services should learn to explore people's needs and enable them to seek appropriate support, rather than either seeing religious or spiritual beliefs and experiences as a symptom of illness or simply ignoring them."
Taken Seriously also highlights people's positive and negative experiences of organised religion, including the way that people felt guilty about experiencing mental health problems, believing that their faith should sustain them. People with mental health problems valued the ways that some church members stayed in contact with them during times of distress.
"When I was suicidal I would have liked somebody not just to support me. I feel very guilty about it, it's not Christian…….."
"When I used to be very bad or depressed just going to church would make all the difference to me………. So having a room or having access to a Bible was important to me."
Taken Seriously is one of three reports examining religion, spirituality and mental health to be
launched at the Mind and Soul Conference, Meare Manor, near Glastonbury on Mayday.
Return to news releases 2002
For further information and interview requests contact please contact the press office on 020 7803 1105 / 1128 or email the press office
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