Worldwide, the landscape of religion is far from serene. Many denominations are divided, believers in some regions face violence, and countless faith leaders have betrayed their flocks through corruption or sexual abuse. Against this backdrop, a long-running debate persists about religion's role in enhancing personal well-being and reducing mental health risks.
Positive Views on Religion and Mental Health
Several prominent U.S. mental health organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health America, share a positive view of religious faith's relation to mental health. According to NAMI, "Religion gives people something to believe in, provides a sense of structure and typically offers a group of people to connect with" those sharing similar beliefs. Research suggests that religiosity reduces suicide rates, alcoholism, and drug use.
Nuanced Perspectives
The American Psychological Association (APA) takes a more nuanced approach. Its Handbook of Psychology, Religion and Spirituality "sheds light on the many purposes religion serves, the rich variety of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, and the capacity of religion and spirituality to do both good and harm."
Timothy Powers, a visiting psychology instructor at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York, observes this duality in his counseling practice. "While faith community participation can confer real and well-documented protective benefits, those same communities can also be sources of shame, spiritual bypass, trauma, and significant barriers to seeking help," he said via email. "Clinically, both realities show up in the counseling room, sometimes in the same person." Powers added that therapists should approach the subject without assuming religion is either a resource or a wound, remaining open to ambiguity.
Charles Camosy, a professor of moral theology and bioethics at The Catholic University of America, shared similar nuanced thoughts. "We expect on the one hand that being faithful will bring with it good things in this life," he said. Yet "living out the Gospel doesn't lead to healthy, flourishing lives for everyone. People still get sick, including mentally ill. Christians, and especially faithful Christians who are salt and light in a world full of violence and injustice, are not promised mental health as a reward for faithfulness in this life."
Recent Research Contributions
On Monday, a new report from the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University added to the discussion. The institute's mission is "research-supported work that fortifies the core institutions of the family, religion, and constitutional government." Citing an analysis of hundreds of previous studies, the report states that committed religious involvement—corresponding to at least weekly attendance at worship services—was linked to lower suicide risk, better stress management, reduced substance misuse, and higher levels of hope. "Although harmful or coercive forms of religion do exist, the overall pattern across the best available studies is clear: religious belief and practice are overwhelmingly associated with better mental and emotional well-being," the report said.
Secular Alternatives
Fish Stark, executive director of the American Humanist Association, said he had no issue with the claim that religious engagement may have psychological benefits, but stressed that nonreligious people can fare equally well. "If you have a strong secular, atheist identity, and actively participate in a nonreligious community, you get the same benefits," Stark said. "The key is whether you have core convictions and participate in social groups. Those with strong religious identities and strong secular identities are equally happy."
Sociology professor Ellen Idler, director of Emory University's Religion and Public Health Collaborative, suggested that the effect of religion on mental health should not be measured solely among regular attendees. "Those who have been, or perceived that they have been, harmed by religion will stay away, leaving those less troubled in the pews," she said, citing people sexually abused by clergy as children or stigmatized by their congregations for being LGBTQ+.
