The image of a religious or spiritual problem through view of mental health specialists in Czech republic
Poster A23, Thursday, October 20, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Le Baron
Jana Muroňová1; 1Masaryk University
There is a plenty of cathegory differencies between International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD 10), and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5). One of this difference is lack of cathegory - religious or spiritual problem in ICD 10. Acording some psychiatrists more than 30% of psychiatric patience has been wrongly diagnostic. Person, who has religious or spiritual problem could have very similar experiencing and expresions as a person who suffer from psychotic diseases, moreover both of them need difference type of therapy. The research question of what the image of religious or spiritual problem is from the perspective of mental health specialists, is answered by the use of the method of thematic analysis. In total, ten psychologists and psychiatrists were interviewed. Half of them worked with clients going through a whereas the other half did not have these clients in their job description. The study produced several results. First, the results in both groups of experts showed an existence of ambivalent perception on spirituality, their open-minded approach to exceptional experiences and the problematic nature of doing the differential diagnosis of psychospiritual crisis. Second, the study further showed the usefulness of the inclusion of religious or spiritual problem to the diagnostic manuals. The results also suggest that more research is needed in this field. Non-pathological diagnosis of religious or spiritual problem offers an open and more accepting view on the exceptional experiences and the role of spirituality as a natural part of human life.
Topic Area: Diagnosis and Phenomenology