The Buckingham

Courtesy of the Huffington Post

A new study indicates that faith in God may lead to better short-term treatment outcomes in patients suffering from psychiatric illnesses.

According to David Rosmarin, a clinician and instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, individuals who professed a strong belief in God later reported a better well-being, less depression, and less anxiety in face of their treatments.

159 patients were evaluated in the Behavioral Health Partial Hospital department at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. Participants were asked to rate their spiritual faith and their expectations regarding the treatment on a five-point scale. Researchers then assessed each patient’s well-being at the beginning and end of the program, accounting for their levels of depression, anxiety and self-harm.

Rosmarin reported that patients who described themselves as possessing more than a “slight” belief in a higher power were twice as likely to respond to treatment.

Researchers are still unsure as to whether the cause of the treatment boost can be accredited to spirituality, some outside factor, or if spiritual people, somehow, are healthier than others.