Faith and religion promote strong mental health so why, pray tell, do atheists run the industry?

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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a needed spotlight because the most recent data show nearly 50,000 people died by suicide in America in 2022. 

This is heartbreaking, nearly 17 times the number of people killed from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It’s the highest number ever recorded and the highest rate since 1941 – the Great Depression’s aftermath.

Unfortunately, there’s a glaring discrepancy between proven treatments for mental illness and the worldview of practitioners, a gap that could be harming patients’ mental health. This is a growing crisis as U.S. mental health deteriorates under record depression rates.

Our mental health industry must rethink how it integrates spirituality in therapy and other treatment protocols. (iStock)

Overwhelming scientific evidence connects faith and religious practice with strengthening mental health, lowering depression, and preventing suicide and drug and alcohol overdoses.

THIS DOCTOR’S ADVICE: FAITH CAN BOOST YOUR OVERALL WELLNESS AND HAPPINESS. I KNOW, I’VE LIVED IT

Yet Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School researchers found “spiritual needs of patients with serious illness are frequently unaddressed

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