THE ROLE OF RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY AND CULTURAL BELIEF SYSTEMS IN MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

The timely intervention on the issue of mental health of especially of the young people in our country is laudable because it has become a pressing issue in India where young men and women are taking their own life without batting an eye lid for trivial matters. This is worrisome for the society and nation.

This paper is focussed on the possible nexus and influence of religious beliefs, spiritual experiences and cultural practices on one’s mental health. It is an undeniable fact that most people in the world subscribe to one religious system or the other; a small section of the population, of course, may not affiliate themselves to any established religious system. And religious beliefs can have both positive and negative influence in maintaining one’s mental health.