A warm welcome to CREST.BD’s Bipolar Wellness Centre webinar series! These webinar slides provide a summary of current research evidence on the relationship between spirituality, bipolar disorder (BD) and quality of life (QoL), as well as pointing you to some tools and resources to help you flourish in your spiritual life.
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Spiritual
Featuring: Victoria Maxwell
CREST.BD Member,
Owner of Crazy for Life Co.,
Mental Health Speaker,
Actor and Writer
@Victoria_BPP
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Webinar focus
Defining spirituality/religion
Why spirituality may be important to your QoL
Spirituality and BD
How you can take action
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Defining spirituality/religion
Something an individual finds sacred or
awe-inspiring
Inside or outside of formal religious practice
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Defining spirituality/religion
Spirituality can be expressed in many ways, such as:
• acts of compassion
• deep reflection, contemplation, meditation or prayer
• engaging with and enjoying nature
• reading of poetry, literature, spiritual teachings, etc.
• engaging in creative activities
• belonging to a faith tradition or community
• maintaining relationships with high levels of trust and
intimacy
The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Spirituality and Mental Health, http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/
therapies/spiritualityandmentalhealth.aspx, accessed June 2006
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Can support:
• learning and growth in difficult situations
• ability to cope with illness
• feelings of connection, compassion and
belonging with the universe
Why could spirituality be important to QoL?
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Research has identified two styles of spiritual/religious
practice1
:
• Positive style of coping
❒❒ More common
❒❒ Can be a source of comfort, compassion, direction and
growth
• Negative style of coping
❒❒ Less common
❒❒ Can be a source of guilt, close-minded thinking, blame or
fear
1
Stroppa, A., & Moreira-Almeida, A. (2013). Religiosity, mood symptoms, and QoL in BD. Bipolar Disorders, 15(4): 385-
393.
Why could spirituality be important to QoL?
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Spirituality may have positive benefits for mental,
emotional and even physical wellbeing2,3,4
:
• providing social support and sense of belonging
• increasing emotional resilience
• lowering blood pressure and promoting exercise
• reducing risk of suicide
• reducing substance misuse
2
Ellison, C. G., & Levin, J. S. (1998). The religion-health connection: Evidence, theory, and future directions. Health
Education & Behavior, 25(6): 700-720.
3
Taylor, S. E. (1989). Positive illusions: Creative self-deception and the healthy mind. New York: Basic Books.
4
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Handbook of religion and health. Oxford; New York: Oxford
University Press.
Why could spirituality be important to QoL?
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But there are possible challenges around spirituality
• Some spiritual beliefs don’t agree with medical
advice and treatment5
• Some systems of belief can make people feel bullied
or discriminated against6
5
Mitchell, L., & Romans, S. (2003). Spiritual beliefs in BD: Their relevance for illness management. Journal of Affective
Disorders, 75: 247–257.
6
Pargament, K.I. (2007) Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy. New York: Guildford Press.
Why could spirituality be important to QoL?
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Spirituality and BD
Hyper-religiosity:
• can be a symptom of BD
• can make you question the “reality” of your spiritual
experiences7
Spiritual ideas can be intense in times of mania or
depression
• Can represent an early warning sign
• Can be confusing when experienced in a mood episode
• Can be complicated by cultural factors
7
Michalak, E. E., Yatham, L. N., Kolesar, S., & Lam, R. W. (2006). BD and QoL: A patient-centered perspective. QoL
Research, 15(1): 25-37.
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How you can take action
Spirituality is personal – no ‘right’ way to practice!
• Ask what keeps you going in hard times
• Learn about a variety of spiritual organizations
• Look at your inner resources and outside
supports
• Consider mindfulness
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How you can take action
Openly discussing spiritual matters with your
supports may help:
• increase understanding
• develop a holistic recovery plan
• healthcare providers and spiritual
advisors to work collaboratively
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Conversations on Religion and Mental Illness
(YouTube Channel of Dr. Nancy Kehoe, Harvard)
Brief discussions about spirituality in the context of mental
health challenges with a variety of guest speakers such as
clergy, spiritual leaders and healthcare providers.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnxEfr-kxZR3C0b4mwGG3JQ/videos
Resources
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Resources:
Healing from Within: Spirituality and Mental Health.
Royal College of Psychiatrists’ paper on spiritual needs and care
as a factor in both symptom relief of mental illness, as well as
general wellbeing.
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/LarryCullifordHealingSpirituality.pdf
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Spirituality and Mental
Health
Harvard University’s
research on the
relationship between
religion and mental
illness, including a list of
publications for further
reading.
http://projects.iq.harvard.
edu/rshm/spirituality-and-
mental-health
Resources
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For more information and resources,
visit our Bipolar Wellness Center at:
http://www.bdwellness.com/
To assess your quality of life,
visit our QoL tool at:
http://www.bdqol.com/