Do You Believe in God? Spiritual Awareness May Aid Treatment of Mental Illness

Belief in God may help you out in more than just a spot in the afterworld. According to a recent study, patients with spiritual beliefs may experience better short-term treatment outcomes for psychiatric illness.

Individuals who described themselves as having as strong sense of faith reported a better overall response to treatment, according to lead study researcher and instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston, David Rosmarin.

"We found that patients who had higher levels of belief in God had better treatment outcomes - better well-being, less depression and less anxiety," Rosmarin, according to Live Science.

Researchers looked at 159 patients in the Behavioral Health Partial Hospital program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., who had received treatment for various psychiatric illnesses that included depression and anxiety. The patient's average length of stay was two weeks, according to Rosmarin.

Study results indicate, however, that no cause or effect can be proven; the researchers are still uncertain whether spirituality caused the treatment boost and some if other factors played a role in better health over time.

Study participants were asked to rate their belief in God and their expectations for the effectiveness of treatment on a five-point scale. At the beginning and end of the program, the researchers evaluated each patients' well-being-defined by their levels of depression, anxiety and self-harm.

Patients who reported more than a "slight" belief in a higher power were twice as likely to respond to treatment, Rosmarin said.

"Belief in God can facilitate belief in treatment," Rosmarin said. "People who had more faith also had more faith in treatment. They thought it was credible and were optimistic about treatment. They believed it was going to help them."

Researchers believe that this sense of power and control through religion during a complicated phase of depression or other illness can help some patients better cope with an illness-just as if a great support system of loved ones and friends may do the same.

The findings from the study were published in April in the Journal of Affective Disorders.