title: Spiritual Treatment for Depression in Brazil: An Experience From Spiritism.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spiritism has been strongly connected with mental health in Brazil. However, there is a lack of descriptions of spiritual treatment provided by thousands of Brazilian Spiritist centers. The present study aims to describe the spiritual care for depression provided by one large Spiritist center in São Paulo, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive study carried out in 2012 at "São Paulo Spiritist Federation." Authors visited the "spiritual intervention sections," observed the therapies provided, listened to the "spirits' communication," and interviewed two patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The assistance consists on a 90-min "Spiritual healing" session which includes educational lectures, "disobsession" (spirit release therapy), "passe" (laying on of hands) and person advice. Both patients had remitted depression when they were interviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further studies would be necessary to report other religious/spiritual treatments in order to improve our understanding of the available practices used by patients and optimize the integration of conventional care with spiritual treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: alelamasgranero@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Alessandra L Granero
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Lucchetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein Hospital, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mario F Prieto
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Peres
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Homero P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Vallada
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucchetti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D026443:Spiritual Therapies; D029181:Spirituality
keywords: complementary therapy; depression; religion and medicine; spiritism; spiritual treatment; transcultural treatment