Prescribing Religion (more Koenig)

[treegiver]

From Seed:

Hundreds of studies examining the link between religion or spirituality and health have concluded that religious activity promotes wellbeing, from protection against cancer to schizophrenia and hypertension. Some members of the medical community are taking the association seriously, probing into a patient's spiritual history to prescribe treatment or advocating prayer with patients. In fact, more than half of the medical schools in the US now offer courses on religion, spirituality and health.

Overall, data tends to support a positive relationship between religion and health, say the authors of the Handbook of Religion and Health—a review of 1,200 studies. Such evidence, reported in scientific journals and the media, is getting both doctors' and patients' attention and should be applied in medicine, according to Harold G. Koenig, one of the book's authors and co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at the Duke University Medical Center.

Leaving the reportage aside, it's worth noting that Koenig is also publisher of Science and Theology News, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, which also backed the recent unsuccessful attempt to show empirically that prayer helps heart patients. Earlier attempts failed as well, but I guess we have to give them credit for (sort of) admitting it.

People who complained about the design of the recent failed study should contact God and request that he recruit some better shills. These guys aren't helping. It's like they believe the scam.

Anyone know anything about the Seed People? (Cripes, I hope it's not like that movie.)

[Kailassa]

1. How long before "Faith-based Medicine" is the only

form of medicine allowed in America?

[treegiver]

2. The cost is low.

If Merck could patent medical usage of the Nicene Creed it might hasten things along a bit.

"In the welter of conflicting fanaticisms, one of the few unifying forces is scientific truthfulness..." Bertrand Russell

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. Well, some people keep saying atheism is a religion.

If that's true, then we're in the benefits.

[NMMNG]

4. Prescribing religion to people with schizophrenia?

Very. Bad. Idea. People with schizophrenia are already prone to religious obsessions, often to their own detriment, and "prescribing" religion to them would only feed such obsessions.


Paranoia, withdrawal from social interaction, religious obsessions, and delusions of grandeur and/or persecution are common.
http://nostalgia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia



However, the abnormal preoccupation with religion is more
pronounced in schizophrenia, manifested in perceived “voices and
hallucinations associated with religion. Most schizophrenics carry
their religious obsession much farther than “simple” bipolar
sufferers, by imagining they are hearing voices from God, or actually
believing they are Jesus Christ.

snip

Some excerpts from the article, “Introduction to Mental Illness,” at
http://www.sentex.net/~wdmhr/intro.html provide a good overview of
bipolar disorder, it’s link to schizophrenic symptoms, and the common
schizophrenic obsession with religion.
http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=115131

He concluded that appellant had suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and delusional thinking although appellant had no defects in his memory or objective judgment. The witness' last personal contact with appellant had been in January, 1978. Family members testified concerning appellant's religious obsessions and various hospital commitments.
http://www.lawskills.com/case/ga/id/7901/



At least 3/4 of the schizophrenics I work with have pronounced religous obsessions.

[Sgent]

5. That maybe so

but it also reduced their lifetime chance of suicide.

[NMMNG]

6. I'm sorry, where did the article say that?

:shrug:

[treegiver]

8. Right here:

"protection against cancer to schizophrenia and hypertension." Look in the OP.

But I still love you. That hasn't changed.

[NMMNG]

9. That doesn't translate to

reduction in lifetime rates of suicide in people with schizophrenia. :shrug:

[treegiver]

11. We come,

we go.

No big deal. (I know that really doesn't address the issue. But sort of.)

[Sgent]

14. See

Religious affiliation and suicide attempt.
Am J Psychiatry. 2004 Dec;161(12):2303-8.

Kanita Dervic, M.D., Maria A. Oquendo, M.D., Michael F. Grunebaum, M.D., Steve Ellis, Ph.D., Ainsley K. Burke, Ph.D. and J. John Mann, M.D.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have investigated the association between religion and suicide either in terms of Durkheim’s social integration hypothesis or the hypothesis of the regulative benefits of religion. The relationship between religion and suicide attempts has received even less attention. METHOD: Depressed inpatients (N=371) who reported belonging to one specific religion or described themselves as having no religious affiliation were compared in terms of their demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation. Unaffiliated subjects were younger, less often married, less often had children, and had less contact with family members. Furthermore, subjects with no religious affiliation perceived fewer reasons for living, particularly fewer moral objections to suicide. In terms of clinical characteristics, religiously unaffiliated subjects had more lifetime impulsivity, aggression, and past substance use disorder. No differences in the level of subjective and objective depression, hopelessness, or stressful life events were found. CONCLUSIONS: Religious affiliation is associated with less suicidal behavior in depressed inpatients. After other factors were controlled, it was found that greater moral objections to suicide and lower aggression level in religiously affiliated subjects may function as protective factors against suicide attempts. Further study about the influence of religious affiliation on aggressive behavior and how moral objections can reduce the probability of acting on suicidal thoughts may offer new therapeutic strategies in suicide prevention.

American Journal of Psychiatry (by the American Psychiatric Assn)

Also take a look at the references in that article -- over 40 peer reviewed articles on religion & suicide.

[NMMNG]

15. Still nothing linking suicidality in people with Scizophrenia

Which was the topic of the post.


The only mention I found of schizophrenia I found in any of the articles was this, curiously in an article titled Christian Psychiatry: the impact of evangelical belief on clinical practice :

For acute schizophrenic or manic episodes, the respondents considered psychotropic medication the most effective treatment, but they rated the Bible and prayer more highly for suicidal intent, grief reaction, sociopathy, and alcoholism.

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/148/1/90?ijkey=52ea82f82feecab3f538b4b55b3b581ff6b4c171&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Much to my surprise, even evangelicals know better than to prescribe prayer or the Bible to treat Schizophrenia.

[treegiver]

7. I had 3/4 religious obsession schizophrenia

but then I got serious and then I went whole hog. Should I worry?

This was state certified. Except for the religious part. They backed off on that.

[NMMNG]

10. Are you making fun of mental illness?

I hope not. I don't take that lightly.

[treegiver]

12. Hardly

Like I said. I'm certified. Guaranteed by the state. Says so right here.

[treegiver]

13. I don't want to give you the wrong idea.

The people they want me see to are usually nice. Some of the people in there are nuts. Some aren't. Lot's of the really crazy ones are religious. You got that right. Just a view from the inside.