Faith in one city: exploring religion, spirituality and mental wellbeing in urban UK

Abstract

Purpose

There are intense current debates about the place of belief systems in a secular society, and also whether the mechanistic approach to mental health care is sufficient for human beings. This paper aims to describe the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation NHS Trust (BSMHFT) spirituality and mental health research programme within that context.

Design/methodology/approach

The research studies are placed within a discourse of current debates, but also within the specific context of the city of Birmingham. Birmingham is England's second city to London, and is an increasingly multi‐ethnic and multi‐cultural environment.

Findings

Those who use mental health services increasingly state that they wish to have the spiritual dimension of their lives attended to by professionals. The BSMHFT project reinforces this message and demonstrates the merits of close working with faith communities and engaging with staff in their understanding of spirituality.

Originality/value

The research by Professor Koenig et al. in the USA has demonstrated the physical and mental health benefits of belonging to a supportive faith community. The BSMHFT project is a rare UK example of research in this area and comes at a time of intense debate in England over the nature of society.

Citation

Gilbert, P. and Parkes, M. (2011), "Faith in one city: exploring religion, spirituality and mental wellbeing in urban UK", Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 16-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/17570981111189551