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Spirituality Is a Powerful Tool in Suicide Prevention
Because hope is something we can’t live without
When John presented to McLean Hospital, he raised almost every red flag in the book for suicide risk. As a Caucasian, middle-aged male with chronic depression, a history of substance dependence, ongoing marital struggles, multiple medical conditions, significant physical pain, and access to firearms, his clinical team was concerned. Worse, John, who requested that his last name not be included for privacy reasons, was not responding well to his current treatment. None of his psychiatric medications or therapists were hitting the mark.
So, we called for a spiritual care consult.
To the surprise of his clinical team, John started to improve after the consult. He was still depressed, but within weeks he became noticeably less edgy and he started to engage in therapy.
Why the change?
In a nutshell, John had become more hopeful for the future. By discussing his situation in spiritual terms, he had tapped into the (literally) age-old process of religious coping, which involves harnessing the divine to deal with emotional distress. In drawing upon spirituality to cope, John started to accept his medical and marital woes and envision that, overall, his life could somehow improve…
