Effectiveness of psychosocial and spiritual interventions in the management of depression

Pages: 720-723
Shahla Ahmadi and Akbar Husain (Department of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh)

Depression is a common affective disorder. It affects the individual, family, and organizational health. Depression, being a problem of the individual, is likely to be managed by spiritual intervention techniques such as prayer, meditation, listening music, visiting the sick, meditation with chanting. Depression is an unavoidable feature of modern life. Psychiatrists prescribe antidepressants and lithium to deal with depression, whereas psychotherapists treat the cases of depression by using cognitive therapy. But, in this world, according to the law of nature, man has to follow religious/spiritual prescriptions. That is, man is himself a perfectionist, why he adopts dysfunctional style of coping. He should adopt functional ways to cope with depression and other psychosocial problems. Bearing this in mind, we are suggesting the ways how to live with a tension-free mind. In the present article, the authors discuss psychosocial and spiritual interventions which includes Beck’s Cognitive Therapy (CT), Social and Family Support, Laughter, Refinement and Purification of the Soul, Prayer, Meditation, Listening Music, Visiting the sick and Reading the Holy Scripture have been discussed in this article.