ABSTRACT
The past ten years have seen increasing interest amongst academics in the topic of religion and mental health (Bhugra, 1996; Bartocci, 2000; Koenig et al., 2001; Dein, 2004). This chapter presents an overview of the area and is divided into several themes. First, the problems defining religion and spirituality and their relation to mental health are outlined. Second, religion and differential diagnosis are discussed. Third the ‘healing effect’ of religious experience is explored.
