nhboy said:
September 3, 2007
A nationwide survey of the religious beliefs and practices of American physicians has found that the least religious of all medical specialties is psychiatry. Among psychiatrists who have a religion, more than twice as many are Jewish and far fewer are Protestant or Catholic, the two most common religions among physicians overall.
The study, published in the September 2007 issue of Psychiatric Services, also found that religious physicians, especially Protestants, are less likely to refer patients to psychiatrists, and more likely to send them to members of the clergy or to a religious counselor.
Do you think it is proper to send patients with mental health problems to members of the clergy or to religious counselors?
LINK
Yes, it is proper for a physician who treats patients with mental health problems to also have the patient be seen by a religious counselor who has a combined understanding of mental health issues and sound Biblical principles.
Regarding the survey you mentioned: Perhaps physicians refer their patients to religious counselors after a thorough exam concludes that the symptoms are as much "spiritual" in nature as they are mental and emotional. This may be due to
observation that the individual is having personal/spiritual struggles of faith which may in fact be the cause of any depressions, anxieties, even suicidal tendencies due to misgivings of faith and misunderstanding of their relationship with God. The emotional/ spiritual struggles can be self-imposed and/or caused by other outside influences while the person is still being affected by hormonal/biological imbalances that can be treated through proper medication(s).
Also: The patient's physician is still able to prescribe medication that can treat the depression and anxiety disorders while the religious counselor would be able to help guide the individual's understanding of God and, through prayer, seek God's help in restoring the patient completely; both mentally and spiritually.
BTW:
Psychiatrists are Not Immune to mental health problems of their own and research studies have shown that psychiatrists have a higher rate of personal problems and are prone to committing suicide!
Here is one report of the suicide rate among psychiatrists vs other physicians:
"The overall physician suicide rate cited by most studies has been between 28 and 40 per 100,000, compared with the overall rate in the general population of 12.3 per 100,000.[1] Overall, then, physicians are more than twice as likely as the general population to kill themselves. Each year, it would take the equivalent of 1 to 2 average-sized graduating classes of medical school to replace the number of physicians who kill themselves. This rate appears higher than among other professionals.[2]
This phenomenon has been explored since the 1960s. Blachly et al[3] gathered data on 249 physicians listed in JAMA obituary columns and made extrapolations to determine which specialties had the highest risk. They interpreted their data to show that
psychiatrists had the highest suicide rate and pediatricians had the lowest rate. Further support for the notion that psychiatrists might be at higher risk is found in the work of Rich and Pitts,[4] who found that psychiatrists committed suicide at twice the expected rate."
Source:
Excerpt -
Physicians Are Not Invincible
from Southern Medical Journal
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/410643_2
