Psychiatrists are least likely physicians to turn to God

Psychiatrists are the least religious physicians, a new study shows.

Psychiatrists were less likely to attend religious services frequently, believe in God or the afterlife, or cope by looking to God, according to a study in the September issue of Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Assn. They were less likely to be Protestant or Catholic and more likely to be Jewish, have no religious affiliation or consider themselves spiritual but not religious.

Historic tensions between psychiatry and religion may explain the findings, researchers said.

"The theory has been over time that maybe it had to do with the origins of psychiatry in psychoanalysis," said the study's lead author, Farr A. Curlin, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.

Psychiatry's historic ties to psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud's anti-religious statements may dissuade religious medical students from specializing in psychiatry and discourage religious physicians from referring to psychiatrists, Dr. Curlin said.

The study was based on a 2003 national survey of 1,144 physicians, including 100 psychiatrists. It found that 61% of all doctors were Protestant or Catholic, while 37% of psychiatrists were Protestant or Catholic. Seventeen percent of psychiatrists listed their religion as "none," compared with 10% of all physicians.

Previous research showed similar findings, including a 1975 study by the APA saying psychiatrists were less religious than the rest of the population.

But more psychiatrists are becoming interested in faith issues, partly because more patients want spirituality and religion addressed as part of their care, said Baltimore psychiatrist Michael A. Torres, MD, who serves on the APA's panel on spirituality and religion in psychiatry. Medical schools also include spirituality in cultural competence training.

When physicians were asked where they would refer a patient grieving two months after his wife's death, the study found:

• 56% of doctors would refer a patient to a psychiatrist or psychologist.
• 25% would refer to a clergy member or other religious counselor.
• 7% would refer to a health care chaplain.
• 12% would refer to someone else.

Physicians who were more religious were less likely to refer such a patient to a psychiatrist.

But Dr. Torres doubts that most doctors base referrals on religion.

"Physicians are going to be more concerned about referring to someone who's good, whether they're religious or not. I think they would be trying to meet the patient's needs with the appropriate referral," he said.

So who are the most religious doctors?

Family physicians, Dr. Curlin said.