BACKGROUND: There has been growing interest in investigating religion as a relevant element in illness outcome. Having religious beliefs has been shown repeatedly to be associated with lessened rates of @entity308 . Most of the limited published research has been restricted to elderly samples. Religious coping is thought to play a key role in religion's effects. Strangely, @entity146 research has neglected this area. METHODS: A questionnaire covering religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs and religious practice was given to a sample of @entity1 with @entity162 in remission. RESULTS: Most @entity1 often held strong religious or spiritual beliefs (78%) and practised their religion frequently (81.5%). Most saw a direct link between their beliefs and the management of their illness. Many used religious coping, and often religio-spiritual beliefs and practice put them in conflict with illness models (24%) and advice (19%) used by their medical advisors. LIMITATIONS: This was a cross-sectional design without a control group and thus it is not possible to determine causal associations from the data set. CONCLUSIONS: Religio-spiritual ideas are of great salience to many @entity1 with @entity162 and shape the ways in which they think about their illness. Many reported experiencing significant paradigm conflict in understanding and managing their illness between medical and their spiritual advisors. These data suggest that the whole area of religion and spirituality is directly relevant to @entity1 living with a chronic @entity146 and should be firmly on the discussion agenda of clinicians working with @entity1 with @entity162 .

Spiritual beliefs in XXXX : their relevance for illness management.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'people'] @entity162 :: ('MESH:D001714', 'Disease') :: ['bipolar disorder', 'bipolar affective disorder'] @entity308 :: ('MESH:D003866', 'Disease') :: ['depression'] @entity146 :: ('MESH:D001523', 'Disease') :: ['psychiatric', 'psychiatric illness']
@entity162 :: (MESH:D001714,Disease) :: ['bipolar affective disorder']
