Religion the Cause of Depression

Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian-British philosopher, once said: “People are religious to the extent that they believe themselves to be not so much imperfect, as ill. Any man who is half-way decent will think himself extremely imperfect, but a religious man thinks himself wretched” (qtd. in Plant 449). To follow a religion, or a set of beliefs, based on a superhuman power is widely believed to help people have a better life. Many studies have shown a relation between a healthy individual and a religious person. Psychologists and researchers are continuing the research in this topic, and new results are showing that religion can sometimes be detrimental to a person’s health. Religion of all types can cause problems for people, such as guilt, shame, and stress, which can lead to depression. Essentially, religion is not healthful, in fact, religion can be damaging to a person’s well-being.

Depression is a term that people define in many ways, but many do not know what the actual meaning of being depressed is. People use the word depression to refer to emotions experienced ranging from “a slight noticeable and temporary mood decrease” (Hammen 3) to a deeper mood decrease that can, at times, threaten a person’s life (Hammen 3). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines depression as a “disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies” (“Depression”). The depression that is being addressed in this research paper is not clinical depression, which requires a different form of clinical assistance. The depression that will be addressed here is the one that many people suffer from, but are able to function in everyday life. People should still be cautious of clinical depression because it may also come about.

Many people suffer from depression without being diagnosed. Depression should not be confused with mood decreases, but if there is a decrease in mood it should not be taken lightly. Some of the symptoms of depression include: a loss of pleasure in everyday activities or even of fun ones, a lack of appetite and weight loss. People that suffer from depression usually feel some sort of guilt and shame (Hammen 3). A depressed person tends to also participate in activities and acts that make them suffer even more (Alford and Beck 3). When compared to other diseases, depression is the leading cause of suffering in people (Hammen 4). Depression is a big issue in our society, and it should not be taken lightly. People should eliminate anything that could lead them into patterns that will lead them to suffer from depression, and if someone does suffer from depression, the necessary steps should be taken to address this issue.

Religion is not usually linked to depression; however, psychologists, scientists, and even theologians are starting to see a link between the two. In Catherine Ross’s article “Religion and Psychological Distress,” which was published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Ross writes: “religion is thought to comfort, relieve pain and suffering, make life worth living, provide hope and meaning, and help people cope with problems” (236). While much research shows that this is true, new findings and other factors seem to be showing something entirely different. Factors like guilt and shame, which the field of psychology traditionally has mixed feelings about but are usually taken as feelings that have a negative effect on the well-being of a person, leave people feeling alone and unwanted (Ciarrocchi and Murray 2). Guilt and shame can also lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, and sometimes, even suicide itself.

Many studies support the idea that religion causes depression. In a study done by J.J. Exline et al., which was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology under the title “Guilt, Discord, and Alienation: The Role of Religious Strain in Depression and Suicidality,” discuss how religion is usually considered a source of support for people. Exline et al. go on to say that religion can leave people feeling alone or unwanted because of the rejection they may experience. Exline et al. also states that people can criticize themselves because of their religious beliefs and gives an example, people doubting that their sins can be forgiven. Exline et al.’s study analyzed 200 undergraduate students taking psychology courses at a public university in which the students were asked to answer questions related to religious comfort and strain. These same students also took the Beek Depression Inventory (BDI) to look for signs of depression. The researchers came to the conclusion that strain through religion brings depression, especially when people feel alienated from God. “Suicidality was. . . found to correlate with religious strain, and the fear and guilt subscale was the primary predictor, particularly when participants believed they had committed a sin too heinous to be forgiven” (Exline et al.).

Another great stressor that religion brings that is also linked to guilt and shame is the belief that people can control the negative consequences of the transgressions they commit through their own will; this internal struggle has a negative effect associated with anxiety (Byrd and Swanson). This belief is deeply rooted in the religious belief that people can live a sinless life. Human beings have a tendency to try to fix problems, and many times, problems associated with religion cannot be fixed. Stress can also, eventually, lead to guilt and shame, which will bring depression.

Depression, which can be caused by religion, is related to self-esteem issues. Problems with self-esteem affect the mood of individuals, which, in turn, brings more depression. Studies conducted by Thao N. Le et al. on adolescent groups dealing with religiousness and depressive symptoms found that being religious, for European-American and African-American adolescents, is a factor that affects and predicts depression (226). While many other factors may affect these results, the results show that these two groups of teenagers who happen to be religious suffer from depression more often than other groups because of the guilt, that causes shame and stress, associated with their beliefs. During the teenage years, people experience self-esteem problems, feelings of rejection, etc., and religion only adds more negative feelings and more stress. This stress is deeply rooted in trying to live up to the expectations brought on by religion.

Teenagers are not the only type of people who suffer from depression because of religion. Another group of people, who feel guilt and shame because of religion, is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and questioning (LGBTQ) community. Most religions, especially theistic ones, condemn any type of sexual orientation that does not conform to the norm of a heterosexual lifestyle. Not only does an LGBTQ person feel rejected by religion because of the teachings, but religion also creates an unfriendly environment for LGBTQ people. “Religious culture often creates homophobic environments resulting in a struggle to integrate spiritual and sexual identities for LGB[TQ]” (Sherry et al. 113). Because of the environment of rejection, LGBTQ people tend to feel internalized homophobia, distress, shame, depression and suicidal thoughts. These feelings are brought about because their sexual identity is in conflict with their religion (Sherry et al. 113). Just like teenagers, people in the LGBTQ community are already experiencing feelings of rejection; they feel like outsiders, and religion only brings one more stressor into their lives by adding to the feelings of rejection, guilt and shame.

Religion has a big impact in people’s lives. In a survey done in the United States, the findings “suggested that 72% of those surveyed described religion as the most influential aspect of their lives” (Sherry et al. 113). Since religion plays such a big role, it is worth trying to find a solution to the problem of depression caused by religion. It is worth noting that religion does have many positive outcomes, but, in reality, most people doubt their beliefs. People who claim a religion and have no strong belief in it have the worst psychological conditions (Ross 243), one being depression. “The highest distress levels [are] found among those who have not made a commitment, who belong to a religion not out of choice but out of indifference” (243). People who follow religion because they are told to, and not because they have chosen to are the most likely to suffer from guilt, shame, and stress; but even people with strong beliefs are prone to suffer from these same conditions because of the strong beliefs and sets of rules that religion brings.

People that claim no religion have low stress levels, unlike people who claim a religious affiliation (Ross 241). People who do not follow a religion have made a conscious decision to reject religion, not a decision that has been taken lightly (234). Not having a religion, or a set of beliefs geared by a higher power that may or may not exist, reduces stress levels. The guilt, shame, and stress associated with living up to the expectations of a religion disappear. No longer is a person held to standards that may seem unattainable.

Having a set of beliefs and a religion seems to be an important part of people’s lives. While religion is usually a beneficial part of a person’s life, in different studies, religion is proving to be detrimental. Depression, a very common yet undiagnosed emotional sickness, seems to strongly affect people who follow religion. Religion, many times, causes stress; it also leads people to feel guilt and shame, which eventually leads to depression. Teenagers and people who fall out of social norms tend to be especially affected by this, but others are not excluded from these feelings. If this is affecting people who fall out of the norm, it seems beneficial for people to not have a religion or a set of beliefs based on a higher power, since studies are proving that people with no religion suffer significantly less from depression than religious followers. Without a belief system, people can avoid stress and feelings of guilt and shame, which studies show, can lead to depression.


Works Cited

Alford, Brad A. and Aaron T. Beck. Depression: Causes and Treatment. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania Press, 2009. Print.

Byrd, Kevin R., and Julie L. Swanson. “Death Anxiety as a Function of Religious Orientation, Guilt, and Separation–Individuation Conflict.” Death Studies 22.3 (1998): 257-69. Web. 17 May 2010.

Ciarrocchi, Joseph W. and Kelly Murray. “The Dark Side of Religion, Spirituality and the Moral Emotions: Shame, Guilt, and Negative Religiosity as Makers for Life Dissatisfaction.” Journal of Pastoral Counseling 42 (2007): 22-41. Web.
“Depression.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Wester Online, 2010. Web. 19 May 2010.

Exline, J. J., A. M. Yali, and W. C. Sanderson. “Guilt, Discord, and Alienation: The Role of Religious Strain in Depression and Suicidality.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 56.12 (2000): 1481-96. Web. 18 May 2010.

Hammen, Constance. Depression. East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press Ltd., 1997. Print.
Le, Thao N., William Tov, and Julie Taylor. “Religiousness and Depressive Symptoms in Five Ethnic Adolescent Groups.” Internal Journal for the Psychology of Religion 17.3 (2007): 209-32. Web. 17 May 2010.

Plant, Bob. “The Wretchedness of Belief: Wittgenstein on Guilt, Religion, and Recompense.” Journal of Religious Ethics 32.3 (2004): 449-76. Web. 19 May 2010.

Ross, Catherine E. “Religion and Psychological Distress.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 29.2 (1990): 236-45. Web. 18 May 2010.

Sherry, Alissa, et al. “Competing Selves: Negotiating the Intersection of Spiritual and Sexual Identities.” Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 41.2 (2010): 112-19. EBSCO. Web. 17 May 2010.