Keep the faith: Spirituality can improve mental health, expert says

Britney Heimuli
·2 min read
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The Rev. Curtis Price, of the First Baptist Church, holds hands and prays with the Rev. Monica Dobbins, of the First Unitarian Church, in front of the House chambers at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019.
The Rev. Curtis Price, of the First Baptist Church, holds hands and prays with the Rev. Monica Dobbins, of the First Unitarian Church, in front of the House chambers at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019. | Deseret News

Spirituality positively impacts the mind and leads to a decreased risk of suicide and addiction, psychologist Lisa Miller told NPR on Sunday.

NPR said Miller “has dedicated most of her career to the study of neuroscience and spirituality.” She found that people who said they have a meaningful spiritual life were 80% less likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol, compared to someone who said they don’t.

In an interview with NPR, Miller said:

  • The higher the risk for depression genetically, the greater the effect of spirituality as a source of resilience against depression.

  • Recalling a powerful, spiritual memory triggers the same reaction in the brain as receiving a hug from a family member as a baby.

  • Those who say they have a spiritual life are 82% less likely to commit suicide.

Miller previously told the Deseret News in an interview that “depression and spirituality are two sides of one door,” and that she is “very interested in how recovery and renewal from depression, despair or hard times is often found through spiritual life.”

Related

How does spirituality affect the body?

USA Today reported earlier this year on the effects of spirituality on the body.

The article quoted the Mayo Clinic and said, “Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills and health-related quality of life (even during terminal illness) and less anxiety, depression and suicide.”

The National Library of Medicine published a study that said prayer, a common spiritual practice, can reduce or increase stress and anxiety, depending on what the prayer is about.

USA Today quoted studies that said spirituality and spiritual practices were linked to lower cortisol levels as well as improved immune function and vitality.

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“One-third of spirituality is innate, two-thirds environmentally cultivated,” Miller told Deseret News.

Tyler VanderWeele, professor of epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan Public School of Health, told the school, “Focusing on spirituality in health care means caring for the whole person, not just their disease.”

“Integrating spirituality into care can help each person have a better chance of reaching complete well-being and their highest attainable standard of health,” said Howard Koh, the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at Harvard T.H. Chan School.