title: The wishes of outpatients with severe mental disorders to discuss spiritual and religious issues in their psychiatric care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In a previous multisite comparative study of spiritual and religious coping (S/R) among outpatients with schizophrenia; S/R were adaptive for 80% of patients; harmful for 13%; and marginal for 7%. This importance was underestimated by clinicians. We created an interfaith therapeutic group to address such topics. The aim of the study is to assess patients' wish to address S/R issues in their psychiatric care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Psychiatrists asked consecutive outpatients about their wish; with who they shared S/R concerns; and their interest to enroll in the "Spiritual and Recovery Group".
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 147 patients included less than half shared their spiritual concerns with other people. A quarter wished to address S/R issues in their care; 24/147 already shared those issues with a religious professional; half of them wished also to share them with their psychiatrist. Among the 21 patients who participated in an in-depth spiritual assessment 16 patients were directed to the S/R group and 5 patients were directed to groups addressing other therapeutic objectives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For one patient out of ten, S/R issues were of a clinical significance warranting integration into psychiatric treatment. This study shows that patients' views are in accordance with former research, putting forward psychiatrists' stance on this issue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of General Psychiatry, University Hospital of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huguelet
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000523:psychology*; D029181:Spirituality
keywords: Spirituality; psychiatric care; recovery; religion; severe mental disorders