Introducing spirituality into psychiatric care.
Spirituality is important to many psychiatric patients, and these patients may be moved toward recovery more effectively if their spiritual needs are addressed in treatment. This, however, is rarely given expression in the psychiatric services of teaching hospitals. In order to develop this potential area of improved care, we (1) evaluated the differential attitudes of patients and psychiatric trainees toward the value of spirituality in the recovery process, (2) established a program of group meetings conducted by psychiatric residents and staff where patients can discuss how to draw on their spirituality in coping with their problems, and (3) established related training experiences for psychiatric residents. The results and implications of these three initiatives are presented.
Galanter
Marc
M
Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and Center for Spirituality and Healthcare, New York University Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA. marcgalanter@nyu.edu
Dermatis
Helen
H
Talbot
Nancy
N
McMahon
Caitlin
C
Alexander
Mary Jane
MJ
D017144:Focus Groups; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010358:Patient Participation; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D029181:Spirituality