The role of spirituality in the treatment of depression: a preliminary result of a qualitative study
Introduction: The conventional approach to the treatment of depression focuses on the pharmacological and psychological treatments. In addition to that, spirituality plays a major role in the preservation of human psychological health, which leads to its application in the prevention, treatment, and...
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English English |
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2019
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| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/71823/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/71823/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/71823/1/ANR.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/71823/2/%28IHEX2019%29%20The%20Role%20of%20Spirituality%20in%20the%20the%20treatment.pdf |
| Summary: | Introduction: The conventional approach to the treatment of depression focuses on the pharmacological and psychological treatments. In addition to that, spirituality plays a major role in the preservation of human psychological health, which leads to its application in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients with psychological disorders such as, major depressive disorder. Despite this, research on spirituality among Muslims in relation to depression is comparably scant. The objective of this study is to explore the role of spirituality in the treatment of depression among Muslim patients.
Methods: This is a qualitative study conducted on 11 depressed Muslim patients in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. To maintain the diversity of subjects, a purposive sampling method was used. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured questionnaire guidelines. The data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic approach.
Result: A significant majority of the subjects expressed the importance of spirituality in managing their illnesses. Four major themes emerged. Spirituality helped them by providing: (i) sense of meaning and purpose, (ii) sense of help and protection, (iii) positive views of life, and (iii) supportive connection, which were essential to all while facing negative life events.
Discussion/Conclusion: The majority of patients expressed the importance of spirituality which are required during the process of treatment and recovery. This fact grants an opportunity to design or integrate spiritual approaches in managing depression. However, more studies are needed to demonstrate its empirical basis and to formulate an effective psycho-spiritual treatment modality that can be integrated by the mental health professionals for the depressed Muslim patients. |
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