Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie 48 (2006) 5, 383 - 386

Psychiatrist, patient and religion: more than simply coping

J.A. Fiselier, A.E. van der Waal, J. Spijker

Qualitative information derived from interviews with psychiatrists working in a Dutch psychiatric institution shows that religion plays a role in the relationship between psychiatrist and patient. Religion functions not only as a coping mechanism, it also lies at the basis of the psychiatrist's attitude. Although less than 20% of the psychiatrists interviewed claimed to be religious, more than 75% said that the therapeutic relationship was partly founded on religious ideas and principles

keywords coping, non-specific, religion, therapy