Religion, Spirituality, and Suicide

Knapp, S. (2024, September 25).

Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy.

Article Link is here.

When evaluating suicidal patients, it is often indicated to ask them about their religious beliefs about suicide because many patients believe that their spiritual or religious beliefs1 are closely linked to their mental health (Yamada et al., 2020). For example, some patients in significant emotional distress say they would not kill themselves because their religion strongly condemns it. For them, religion includes a life-protecting belief that prohibits them from attempting suicide.  

Nonetheless, the relationship between religion, spirituality, and suicide goes deeper than just prohibitions against suicide. Instead, religious and spiritual beliefs influence how people care for themselves, interact with others, think about themselves, and interpret their life histories. For example, some people have religious or spiritual beliefs that command them to live their lives productively, express their talents and abilities, and show love for others while experiencing joy. For them, religion includes life-promoting beliefs that encourage them to flourish and thrive. 

The goals for treating suicidal patients are to keep them alive and to help them create lives worth living. While life-protecting beliefs may help keep many patients alive (at least temporarily), life-promoting beliefs help keep patients alive and also help them to create lives worth living. This article suggests ways psychologists can encourage life-promoting beliefs when working with suicidal patients.

The entire article is here.

Here are some thoughts:

The article explores the complex relationship between religious and spiritual beliefs and suicide risk. It highlights that while religious affiliation and spiritual practices can offer protective benefits against suicidal ideation and behavior, the impact varies based on individual experiences and contexts. Positive religious coping mechanisms—such as finding meaning, community support, and hope—are associated with reduced suicide risk. Conversely, negative religious coping, including feelings of punishment or abandonment by a higher power, may exacerbate distress and increase risk. The article emphasizes the importance for mental health professionals to assess and integrate clients' spiritual and religious dimensions into therapy, tailoring interventions to support each individual's unique belief system.

Reconsidering Informed Consent for Trans-Identified Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults

Levine, S. B., Abbruzzese, E., & Mason, J. W. (2022).

Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 48(7), 706–727.

https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623x.2022.2046221

Abstract

In less than a decade, the western world has witnessed an unprecedented rise in the numbers of children and adolescents seeking gender transition. Despite the precedent of years of gender-affirmative care, the social, medical and surgical interventions are still based on very low-quality evidence. The many risks of these interventions, including medicalizing a temporary adolescent identity, have come into a clearer focus through an awareness of detransitioners. The risks of gender-affirmative care are ethically managed through a properly conducted informed consent process. Its elements—deliberate sharing of the hoped-for benefits, known risks and long-term outcomes, and alternative treatments—must be delivered in a manner that promotes comprehension. The process is limited by: erroneous professional assumptions; poor quality of the initial evaluations; and inaccurate and incomplete information shared with patients and their parents. We discuss data on suicide and present the limitations of the Dutch studies that have been the basis for interventions. Beliefs about gender-affirmative care need to be separated from the established facts. A proper informed consent process can both prepare parents and patients for the difficult choices that they must make and can ease professionals’ ethical tensions. Even when properly accomplished, however, some clinical circumstances exist that remain quite uncertain.

Here are some thoughts:

The article critiques the prevailing standards for obtaining informed consent in the context of gender-affirming medical interventions for minors and young adults. It argues that current practices often fail to adequately ensure that patients—and in many cases, their guardians—fully understand the long-term risks, uncertainties, and implications of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. The authors contend that the developmental immaturity of children and adolescents, combined with social pressures and sometimes incomplete psychological evaluations, undermines the ethical validity of consent. They advocate for a more cautious, evidence-informed, and ethically rigorous approach that prioritizes psychological exploration and long-term outcomes over immediate affirmation and medical intervention.