Believe In God And Feel Better
有信仰会感觉更好么？
Whether or not a treatment for an illness or disorder works usually doesn’t depend on whether we believe it will work. For example, if you have an MRI, barring a malfunction, the technology will work even if you don’t understand it or believe that such a thing is possible. Ditto for most types of surgery, antibiotics and other medications, and so on.
对于疾病或内分泌失调的治疗方案是否凑效常常不取决于我们是否相信它会产生效果。举个例子，如果你做核磁共振检查，除非发生故障，那么即便你不理解或相信这是可能的，这项技术依然在起作用。同理，其他的外科手术、抗生素、药物等等大多如此。
But when it comes to treatment for mental illness, the patient’s belief seems to very much matter. At least one study by Harvard researchers has found that patients who believe in God tend to respond better to treatments for problems like anxiety and depression.
但涉及到精神疾病的治疗是，患者的信仰似乎会产生极大的影响。至少有一项哈佛大学研究员们的研究发现信仰上帝的患者对焦虑和抑郁的治疗有更好的响应。
Why?
为什么？
The study found that people who express a belief in God are also more likely to believe in the efficacy of drug and behavioral therapies and expect that they will help. And so, researchers speculate, such patients may be more vigilant about taking their medication and more enthusiastic about participating in other forms of therapy. Patients who are more skeptical, meanwhile, may be less likely to engage in therapy in a fully cooperative way.
这项研究发现，表示信仰上帝的人，更容易相信和期待药物和行为疗法的效用。因此，研究人员推测，这些患者更注意吃药及更热衷于参加其他形式的治疗。与此同时，多疑的患者，对于治疗可能不会全力配合。
Spiritual Beliefs
精神信仰
There hasn’t been much research on the relevance of patients’ spiritual beliefs to treatment for mental illness. So it’s not yet clear if and how psychiatrists and other healthcare providers may be able to factor in religious beliefs in a clinical setting. But more research may help doctors find a way to harness patients’ spirituality in a way that helps them heal.
对于患者的精神信仰与精神疾病治疗之间相关性的研究成果并不多，所以尚不清楚精神病专家和其他医护人员能否以及怎样在临床治疗中将宗教信仰因素纳入。但更多的研究也许将帮助医生们找到一种利用患者的精神力来治愈他们的方法。 |