Nearly seven in 10 adults who belong to a religious community would likely seek mental health care if a leader in their religious community recommended it, according to APA’s latest Healthy Minds poll.
The online poll, conducted on behalf of APA by Morning Consult on August 16 and 17, asked 2,201 adults for their thoughts on faith and mental health and found:
- 72% of Black adults, 70% of White adults, and 63% of Hispanic adults who belonged to a religious community would seek mental health care if a religious leader recommended it.
- 57% of adults who belonged to a religious community said they would likely reach out to a faith leader if they were struggling with their mental health.
- 52% of adults who belonged to a religious community said their religious community discusses mental health openly and without stigma.
“Many of us rely on our faith communities for support in times of mental and emotional difficulty, whether we are struggling ourselves or we are supporting a loved one with a mental health condition,” said Marketa M. Wills, M.D., M.B.A., CEO and Medical Director of APA. “When a faith leader supports and encourages conversations around mental health, it makes a difference to that community, and as psychiatrists we welcome that approach.”
In conjunction with the poll, the APA Foundation is releasing the second edition of its resource guide “Mental Health: A Guide for Faith Leaders.” The resource guide provides faith leaders with insights and tools to understand mental health concerns and support congregants with mental health challenges, adapting the APA Foundation’s existing Notice. Talk. Act.® framework for a faith community setting and offering advice to faith leaders on caring for themselves to avoid compassion fatigue. The updated guide also provides some noteworthy post-pandemic tools and resources.
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Partnership Between Psychiatrists, Faith Leaders Untapped Key to Expanding Reach of MH Care.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/AJ_Watt)
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