Assessing problems with religious content: a comparison of rabbis and psychologists. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • This study measured distinctions made by a sample of clergy and mental health professionals in response to three categories of presenting problems with religious content: mental disorder, religious or spiritual problem, and "pure" religious problem. A national, random sample of rabbis (N = 111) and clinical psychologists (N = 90) provided evaluations of three vignettes: schizophrenia, mystical experience, and mourning. The participants evaluated the religious etiology, helpfulness of psychiatric medication, and seriousness of the presenting problems. The rabbis and psychologists distinguished between the three diverse categories of presenting problems and concurred in their distinctions. The results provide empirical evidence for the construct validity of the new DSM-IV category religious or spiritual problem (V62.89). Use of the V code allows for more subtle distinctions among the variety of problems that persons bring to clergy and mental health professionals. These distinctions may also provide a foundation for the initiation of co-professional consultation.

publication date

  • September 1, 2000

Research

keywords

  • Clergy
  • Mental Disorders
  • Psychology, Clinical
  • Religion and Psychology

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0033823025

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1097/00005053-200009000-00008

PubMed ID

  • 11009335

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 188

issue

  • 9