Assessing problems with religious content: a comparison of rabbis and psychologists.
The Journal of nervous and mental disease September 1, 2000 G Milstein, E Midlarsky, B G Link et al. 36 citations
Rabbis and clinical psychologists distinguish among mental disorder, religious or spiritual problem, and pure religious problem in a similar way, supporting the validity of the DSM-IV category 'religious or spiritual problem' (V62.89). A national random sample of 111 rabbis and 90 psychologists evaluated vignettes describing schizophrenia, mystical experience, and mourning. Both groups agreed on the religious etiology, helpfulness of psychiatric medication, and seriousness of each problem. The V code enables finer distinctions among the range of issues people bring to clergy and mental health professionals, potentially fostering co-professional consultation.