Religiosity and Mental Health: A Battlefield Around the World The idea that religiosity has a link to mental health is not something new or foreign. Many religious fanatics argue that a strong belief system helps deal with the daily problems and copious stress that people experience throughout their lives. On the other hand, less spiritual people tend to argue that religion causes more stress than it relieves, alternatively classifying religion as an additional mental burden. What is fascinating is that the connection between religiosity and mental health applies not just to one religion and one specific area, but rather to many religions and all places. Although many studies have been conducted on the topic, no definitive position has been crowned correct by a substantial majority, nor has anyone analyzed the widespread effects of religion on mental health across multiple religions and locations at all age levels. Overall, this article will attempt to demonstrate that religion can help deal with stress in general, but it definitely leads to additional anxiety that is directly related to religiosity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The effects of religiosity on mental illness certainly exist and can be examined worldwide. Starting from Europe, more specifically from post-communist Europe, it is possible to examine the effects of Christian religiosity and mental effects by reading the document “Relationship Between Religiosity and Health: Evidence from a Post-communist Country” by Barna Konkolÿ Thege, János Pilling, András Székely and Mária S. Kopp. In this article, the authors examine a study in which previously religiously repressed Europeans are surveyed and interviewed to draw conclusions about mental health issues. What they ultimately discovered was that in this specific area and time period, participants showed a positive correlation between religiosity and overall physical health. Furthermore, the population appeared to be better able to cope with problems even if they identified as more religious, perhaps demonstrating that religion is a good coping measure. Where the evidence seems negative, however, is when examining levels of anxiety and susceptibility to depression among religious people. In this specific study, a positive correlation was found between religiosity and anxiety and depression, which needs to be explored further, since these are the main causes of mental illness and mental instability. Overall, in Eastern Europe, where religion was frowned upon during the communist regime, positive results have been achieved from a strong belief system, but the area of study of mental health has proven lacking. Looking at Western Europe, there are similarities. In the article by Dany R. Khalaf, Ludger F. Hebborn, Sylvain J. Dal and Wadih J. Naja “A Critical Comprehensive Review of Religiosity and Anxiety Disorders in Adults” it is clear that it is possible to establish a connection between people's religious beliefs and mental disorders. illness. While physically beneficial to many, religiosity hides a dark truth that lies in its tendency to surface when it comes to anxiety and depression in many Europeans. Turning to the Arab world, one can examine non-Christian beliefs and their effects on mental health. from the essay “Religiosity, subjective well-being and neuroticism” by Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek. In his article, Abdel-Khalek discusses the negative impact of religion in the form of neuroticism. This personality trait, which has been observed to be.
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