Religion and Psychiatry

There is at present obvious and growing interest in the relationship between religion and psychiatry. Both the British Medical Association1 and the Church2 have recently stressed in most welcome fashion the need for doctors, psychiatrists, and parish priests to cooperate together to heal the whole man. Statistics of mental illness emotional disorders are staggering, and including figures apt to roll rather easily off the tongue without realising the heartaches, the broken homes, and the blighted lives of children involved. The problem seems to be growing far too vast for either the PsVchiatrist or the priest alone. it The Greek lexicon suggests three meanings for the root word psyche" : (a) breath, especially the sign of life; life; spirit; (b) the soul of man, as opposed to the body; (c) the soul, mind, reasoning, understanding. T? the careful observer here is an implicit suggestion, that psychiatry has to deal with the religious and spiritual as well as the Cental. Unfortunately, however, there is still a general reluctance ?n the part of many to come to grips with the fundamental con-?ePts which effect both spheres. There are those who state quite appily that there can be no problem about cooperation as many Prjests and psychiatrists now meet together in a most friendly fanner and have periodical discussions. The psychiatrist is a "good low", comes to Church when he can, and sometimes even refers a tew patients to their parish priest. The priest is quite "human", ?-I often consults the psychiatrist. Platitudes are expressed as to , e good work the other does, and all appears well! All we need n?w apparently is where to draw the line between the domain of e psychiatrist and that of the priest! On the other hand, there are a number of priests who will have ,?thing to do with psychiatry and psychology, and even devout ^urchgoers who feel that they are being disloyal to their faith if ey seek expert help which both these spheres offer. There are