Can religion help you recover from mental illness?

Many of our patients with mental illness find comfort in religion, and appreciate the support that our multi-faith chaplaincy and spiritual care team can provide. Some people already practise a religion when they come to St Andrew’s, and others find – or change – religion when considering their spirituality as part of their recovery.

An article by journalist Erica Crompton – who has schizophrenia herself – has been published on the Metro newspaper website, and the piece includes a series of quotes from St Andrew’s patients about their faith.

One female patient told Metro:

“I am a Christian because it gives me faith and hope for the future, and confidence that things will go well and I will be prosperous. I pray every day before I go to bed and also at different times during the day if I need to. I pray when things are going badly and also when things are going well. My faith has helped carry me through these times.”

Another patient said:

“When I pray, I put a prayer sign outside my door and the staff acknowledge it and they understand that I need these prayer times. The staff here also understand that in my care plan, I have a lot of spiritual needs, which are very specific. The multi faith room has a Wudu, which I use, and the room allows for congregational prayers as well, which I enjoy. I’ve been a Muslim for seven years and it has given me strength and structure to my life. Religion has definitely helped me.”

To read Erica’s article in full, click here to visit the Metro website.

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Spiritual support at St Andrew’s Healthcare

The multi-faith Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care team provides services for St Andrew’s patients day and night. The team offers a listening ear in time of difficulty or crisis; space to talk about life and purpose; someone to explore spiritual questions with; support for patients to practice faith or spiritual tradition; contact with representatives of faith communities; pastoral counselling and help in bereavement. All of the chaplains at St Andrew’s Healthcare are registered with UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy and accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.