Can Religious Beliefs Influence Recovery from Depression?

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Can Religious Beliefs Influence Recovery from Depression?

The rate of major depression in community-dwelling senior citizens is less than 1%, yet the percentage rises to more than 10% in patients who are hospitalized because of physical illness.

While several studies have attempted to show associations between demographic, psychosocial and health-related factors and mood states, this study of 94 hospital patients may be one of the first to consider the potential influence of religious beliefs on depression.

Patients were all diagnosed with depressive disorder while under hospitalization. During that time, "intrinsic religiosity" was measured by way of a questionnaire. (The questionnaire contained 10 statements on religious beliefs/experiences. Patients were asked to mark on a 1-5 scale the extent to which each statement applied to them). Patients were then monitored for one year (four telephone interviews at 12-week intervals) after hospital discharge to re-assess levels of depression and religiosity.

Results: Forty-seven patients (54%) experienced full remission of depressive disorder during the one-year follow-up period. (Remission was defined as two weeks or more with fewer than three of the nine traditional symptoms of depression.) This was despite the fact that more than 50% of the patients received no formal treatment for their depression. Patients with higher levels of intrinsic religiosity than other patients experienced more rapid recovery from depression.

Conclusion: The frequency of church attendance and private religious activities were unrelated to time of remission, suggesting that faith and belief itself often helps older patients cope with changes in their physical health and living circumstances. These findings should be taken into account when managing the evolving condition of the geriatric patient.

Koenig HG, George LK, Peterson BL. Religiosity and remission of depression in medically ill older patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, April 1998;155(4), pp536-42.