Religious Characteristics of Romanian Physicians: Towards an Integrative Support of Religious Psychiatric Patients

The growing closeness between psychiatry and theology may impact positively the healthcare of the religious psychiatric patients. However, some significant divergences regarding the health care religious methods and the concept and believe in the demonic possession of psychiatric patients continue to shape the relationships between these professionals. While the religions generally admit the demonic or spirit possession as real, the current views of physicians and psychiatric patients are just taken for granted and therefore demands new investigations. In this study, we have performed a targeted survey on this subject.

The survey was based on a questionnaire addressed to 216 psychiatrists and 201 non-psychiatrists, and 408 psychiatric patients. For physicians, the questionnaire was randomized sent to hospitals in Romania. The patients received the questionnaire on paper. Except for patients with dementia and those in the acute phase of a psychiatric illness, all psychiatric disorders available at the time of the investigation were randomized included in the study.

The results showed that about 20% of physicians and 60% of psychiatric patients considered that demonic possession might be associated to a psychiatric illness, while the later would like a priest in the therapeutic team (89.4%, CI: 0.86-0.92). In addition, the psychiatrists declared a lower attendance of religious services, although the majority would accept a priest in the therapeutic team (p>0.05, CI: 0.61-0.70).

These findings invite to a more practical collaboration between psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and theologians/priests with training in psychiatry for a more integrative mental care of the religious psychiatric patients. The results call as well for more efficient practical solutions for psychiatric patients, raise awareness towards the personal religious needs and critical beliefs of such patients, and finally might narrow the gap of the controversy between psychiatrists, non-psychiatrists, psychologists and theologians/priests on the addressed issues.