The cure of souls: psychiatric dilemmas

Misunderstandings quite frequently occur between patients and their doctors because psychiatrists may be unable to comprehend and therefore accept the ir patient's experience. 'Soul' and 'spirit' are essential characteristics of human life: soul ultimately means 'quick moving', the principle of life; spirit etymologically refers to breath and is also the animating of vital principle. The spiritual aspects of a person include his or her aims and go als, the interrelatedness of human beings, wholeness of person in which spi rit is not separate from body or mind, moral aspects of goodness, beauty an d enjoyment and an awareness of God. Psychiatrists have historically had di fficulties with the spiritual realm, some of the roots of psychiatry have b een anti-ecclesiastical and currently psychiatrists are well aware of the h armful effects of some religious groups upon vulnerable patients. However, religious people, those who regard faith, religious practice and spiritual issues as important, have had distrust for some psychiatrists and their pub lications. There has also been a degree of professional rivalry between cle rgy, and psychiatrists who share some of the same goals for their parishion ers/patients. Patients feel themselves sometimes to have been caught in the cross-fire and this has resulted ill reluctance to talk about spiritual is sues to their psychiatrists or mental health problems to their priest. In p ractice there is considerable evidence for the benefit of religious religio us belief in achieving good mental health and recovery from mental illness. It is important for the psychiatrist to be aware of patients' religious be liefs and spiritual aspirations, to understand these and know about patient s' backgrounds, it is harmful for psychiatrists to try and impose their own views and understandings upon their patients.