Ethical Considerations at the Intersection of Psychiatry and Religion

Psychiatry and religious/spiritual share an interest in human flourishing, a concern with beliefs and values, and an appreciation for community. Yet historical tensions between science and religion have often reinforced disciplinary boundaries and obstructed dialogue, leaving clinicians uncertain about how to approach ethical dilemmas arising between them. Common questions concern conflicting values, the ways that religion/spirituality informs the value commitments of patients and their clinicians, and what principles should guide the interaction between clinicians’ own professional and personal commitments. This volume aims to help readers think more clearly about these issues as they present to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, religious professionals working in mental health settings, bioethicists and trainees in these disciplines. Rather than philosophical arguments or practice guidelines, chapter authors offer a conceptual framework for understanding the role of religion/spirituality in ethical decision-making, as well as pragmatic guidance for approaching challenging cases. Authors in Part One explore several dimensions of the ethical challenges presented by religious/spiritual related to diagnosis, integrated treatment, harmful religion, and the work of ethics committees and religious professionals. Those in Part Two consider ways of approaching these issues as they arise in different clinical contexts, such as forensic, consultation-liaison, geriatric, child, international and community psychiatry, as well as in psychiatric research and teaching.

• Spirituality and mental health

  Larkin Elderon Kao, John R Peteet et al.•Journal for the Study of…•2020

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• The WPA position paper on spirituality and religion in psychiatry

  John R Peteet•Mental Health Religion & Culture•2017

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