Faith and Mental health

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Interest in the relationship between faith and mental health is growing.

Academic reports, full books and funded studies are dedicated to exploring the role of faith in mental wellbeing and to the impact of mental health on faith itself. 

Here are a few we think are worth attention: 

Keeping the Faith 

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/keeping-faith 

Taken Seriously: The Somerset Spirituality Report 

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/taken-seriously-somerset-spirituality-project 

The impact of Spirituality on Mental Heath https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/impact-spirituality.pdf

We recognise that across the world there are many thousands of religions and faith traditions, alongside those that are most widely practiced which includes Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. 

We acknowledge that all religions or faith traditions can have an important role to play in the mental health and wellbeing of their followers but, for the purpose of the Faith and Mental Health Project (including the Course and Conversations), it is the Christian Church and the Christian expression of faith that we hope to challenge, equip and support. 

This is for two reasons:

1. Our Call To Action Research (based in Northern Ireland) heard mostly from those connected to Christianity and therefore we can speak with confidence - based on what we heard during that. 

2. Both Lindsay and Debz are part of the Christian tradition and both have a personal faith, theological expertise, and mental health training to lean on.  We also have a wide range of voices who have joined us over this last year, from a variety of Christian denominations and backgrounds, all who have roots, wings and wisdom in Christianity and are part of a local Christian church or faith community.