Spirituality, Religion and schizophrenia
Often psychiatrist treat patients with schizophrenia disorders who are religious or have some form of spirituality. The focus of the psychiatric care has been shifted from treating mental illness to caring for people who manage their own mental illness. Therefore, it is necessary to include an emphasis on the spirituality and religiousness of those with chronic mental illness and the role that it plays in their care. Spirituality and religiousness has been show as a powerful psychological and social resource for mental health and liability.
Trigger event
During my clinical placement I was assigned to work with a patient suffering from schizophrenia and spirituality disorders. Throughout the first days of placement we were able to read the kardex from our patients. I realize that my patient has a strong religiosity and everything in his kardex was about God. I read some of the patient statements where he provides examples such us “he would do what God told him to do”, the most interesting statements given by the family of the patient was “C.S. compiled 8000 rolls of toilet paper as per God’s wishes at his residence”, another interesting statement told by the patient was “ he couldn’t touch another women it has to be the one that Lord choose for him or his soul will be in hell for eternity”. He was at the forensic unit because he commits a criminal harassment towards to another individual. The patient believe that God choose this
Schizophrenia is a complex disorder of the brain, which is incurable but treatable to live a close to a normal life. There are different types of schizophrenia and they each have different symptoms and affect a person's life in different ways.
“Spirituality and religion has been identified as an essential component in care for those who are seriously ill and/or dying.” Social workers need to be able to respond appropriately to the needs of all service to users who depends on their spirituality to live day by day. Culturally competent practice depends on an understanding and appreciation of the impact of faith and belief. Social workers need to be open to various religious, spiritual and non-spiritual or secular individual views. Some people seek help from their spiritual healer instead of going to see a doctor. “Many medical and social care professionals feel uncomfortable discussing religious and spiritual beliefs with patients, and therefore do not address this critical component
Evidence has linked a strong relationship between spirituality and medicine. There is a positive correlation between a patient’s spirituality or religious commitment and health outcomes. A spiritual assessment as a part of a health assessment is a practical step to incorporating patient’s spiritual needs into practice. The FICA Tool and HOPE Questions provide serve to assist clinicians in the spiritual assessment process. By examining the research done using these tools, it has been determined that the FICA Tool is easy to use and provides basic data on a patient’s spirituality. The FICA tool is both reliable and valid. The HOPE Questions are
Cultural History: The patient is a moderately built, English speaking Caucasian female who “sometimes” practice the Baptist religion. She believes that her faith has kept her from losing her mind in desperate times and does not recognize any cultural or religious sways in her mental health care and
Spiritual assessment and care of a patient at each medical or psychiatric appointment is an essential aspect of providing adequate care by all NPs. To be able to do so, NP must understand that spirituality and religiosity are not synonymous. Unlike the concept of religion, which defined by the online Oxford dictionary (2017) as “The belief in a worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods,” spirituality holds various definitions depending on whom you ask. According to Taylor (2002; who credits Reed [1992]) “…spirituality refers to that part of being human that seeks meaningfulness through intra-, inter-, and transpersonal connection (p. 10). Therefore, rapport with each
In this week’s readings chapter twelve is about schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder in which personal, social, and occupational functioning deteriorate as a result of strange perceptions, unusual emotions, and motor abnormalities. This disorder is very interesting, but also kind of scary to me. They literally end up in their own world, losing contact with reality. With that, they also experience hallucinations or delusions, which can cause them to do abnormal, possibly dangerous actions. These symptoms must last six months or more before the person can be diagnosed with schizophrenia. It will affect 1 out of 100 people in the world during ones lifetime. This disorder, unlike many others, is just as common among men and women,
In addition, “more than 60 percent of Americans say their whole approach to life is based on their religion, yet mental health care providers rarely take that into consideration” (Pew Research Center, 2007). Furthermore, “inquiries about spirituality should be performed in a competent manner by demonstrating spiritual sensitivity. In addition to an initial intake, clients should be permitted to express their spirituality and religious beliefs, in a respectful and supportive environment” (Cummins, Sevel, & Pedrick, 2012, p.195). It is also important for a social worker to know the difference between spirituality and religion because the two are often confused and it is necessary to have culture competence and culture sensitivity with clients that may have different beliefs than our
Different religious groups have different believe system in the provision of the healthcare. The health personnel such as doctors and nurses should be aware of the religious beliefs of their patients for effectively delivering medical care. In provision of medical care, religious faith and beliefs of the patient is incorporated with the scientific medical care in offering a holistic medical to the patients. The medical personnel should take into the consideration the religious belief of the patient in the course of offering medical care to the patient. The
Schizophrenia as a Biological Disorder As well as the biological approaches there are physiological, psychological and environmental explanations. New theories of schizophrenia are constantly being developed each having their own advantages and disadvantages. How do we know however, which one is correct? The biological explanation suggests that schizophrenia is produced by an unfortunate combination of genes or is due to physical problems in the brain.
For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and
Approximately 22% of the American population suffers from some kind of mental disorder at any given time. (Passer and Smith, 2004) Schizophrenia is one of the most serious of these mental disorders, and there are many different kinds of treatment. While all mental disorders offer diagnosis and treatment challenges, few are more challenging than schizophrenia. It is both bizarre and puzzling, and has been described as “one of the most challenging disorders to treat effectively.” (Passer and Smith, 2004, 534)
Thanks for answering my posed question. When working with a client, it is important to understand the client’s spiritual, religious, or faith belief systems spirituality because an individual’s spirituality and religious beliefs do play a part in helping them to cope with their illnesses. Spirituality is described as a way to find meaning and inner peace in one’s life. People can find spirituality through such things as religion, music, art or in nature. Spirituality is represented in a person’s values, principles, and worldview.
Additionally, the use of the Bible in therapy has shown to assist those who are struggling with religion and spirituality. Placing value on spiritual aspects has the potential to improve mindfulness and to deepen its benefits. The use of religion in treatment has shown improvements in areas like stress and worry and is linked to increased patient fulfilment as well as assisting those who are struggling with their
(Kalat, 2012). Bleuler used the term as a means of representing a major psychotic illness
Spirituality is a delicate topic, and some may not be open to talking about their beliefs. Spirituality is generally understood to be an essential aspect of being human (Lyndo-Lam, 2012). Assessing the spiritual needs of patients is a key component in the nursing process. A compassionate and thoughtful nurse can make a patient feel more secure, making it easier for him to express his spirituality. The participation of both patient and health care provider is vital in promoting spiritual health. The main focus of a spiritual assessment is to gather information regarding the patient’s spiritual needs in order incorporate them into the plan of care, so as to treat