Religiosity and spirituality in bipolar disorder

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Over the past twenty years, systematic studies have identified a positive relationship between spirituality/religiosity (S/R) and health, especially mental health. Although there is only scant information about S/R and BipolarDisorder. METHODS: The words "bipolar", "mania" and "manic" were crossed with the words "religio*" and "spiritu*" in the databases PubMed and PsychINFO in November 2008. It was found 122 articles published between 1957 and 2008. RESULTS: The studies indicate that bipolar patients have a greater religious/spiritual concern and involvement, more reports of conversion, experiences of salvation and a more frequent use of spiritual/religious coping, than people with other mental disorders. It also indicates a frequent and significant relationship between manic symptoms and mystical experiences, and changes in the intensity of faith after the onset of the disorder. The most relevant studies in the literature were distributed by subjects: mystical delusions, religiosity and spirituality, spiritual-religious coping, community resources and traditional communities. CONCLUSION: The number of studies about healthy religious practices, spirituality, and coping among bipolar patients should be expanded, as soon as its relation to accession, compliance with treatment and recurrences of the disease. Greater attention should be given to investigate the relationships between religiosity, religious coping, psychotherapeutic interventions, and based-spiritual psychoeducation.