DoctorWorld.NET > Psychiatry > Psychiatrists Are The Least Religious Of All Physicians

Psychiatrists Are The Least Religious Of All Physicians

[2/0]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/81399.php

Submitted by allen 12 months, 1 week, 22 hours ago

A nationwide survey of the religious beliefs and practices of American physicians has found that the least religious of all medical specialties is psychiatry. Among psychiatrists who have a religion, more than twice as many are Jewish and far fewer are Protestant or Catholic, the two most common religions among physicians overall. The study, published in the September 2007 issue of Psychiatric Services, also found that religious physicians, especially Protestants, are less likely to refer patients to psychiatrists, and more likely to send them to members of the clergy or to a religious counselor.

Tags: Psychiatrists

comment (1) | Category: Psychiatry | Add allen as a friend

#1 - By nancytice, 6 months, 1 week, 3 days, 5 hours ago.

I certainly understand this. Many religions blame people for their depression, a weakness, a 'failure of faith'. If they believed enough, etc they would be ok or they would 'snap out of it'. That attitude was present in some of the non-Jewish residents where I trained just a little bit. Not all but a couple and it took a lot of work for them to get that worked out. I would imagine anyone with that kind of background is not going to be attracted to psychiatry at all.
People do have chemical imbalances, but what came first? there is pretty clear evidence that specific kinds of trauma cause brain changes and biochemical changes and specific kinds of cognitive therapy causes brain changes and cognitive changes for the better. They've shown it with pet scans. Medications are important but studies show they don't work forever, so you are best off with a psychiatrist who is good with medication but who also is spiritual and fascile with working out trauma in a way that is not just medicating it away.
Anyway this is a huge digression from the article-but yes I see why the article says what it does but I truly believe the article mistakes religiousness for spirtuality. One can be deeply spritual without being 'religious' ie adopting a set of rules some of which may blame a person for their own ills or tell them their ills would be solved if they would only have 'more faith'.

Reply to nancytice

Your Account

Community

Doctor's Job Board

Topics (Upcoming)

More

View Medical News