Pathways to Mental Health Care: The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Help Seeking for Psychosis

Numerous studies have emphasized the vital role of religion and spirituality in living with and receiving care for mental health challenges. To illuminate the diversity of religious and spiritual responses to psychosis, the authors conducted a narrative literature review with three religious worldviews to illustrate how religious and spiritual traditions can shape meaning making, help seeking, and coping among individuals experiencing first-episode psychosis. Christian, Muslim, and Indigenous American traditions differ widely in their explanatory models, the role of spiritual leaders in care pathways, and their degree of alignment with psychiatric systems. Rather than assuming a single model of care, the authors aimed to explore culturally informed, reciprocal approaches to support effective and respectful engagement (for individuals experiencing first-episode psychosis to whom religion is important) between the medical model and religious or spiritual care. The authors suggest that collaborative models between clinicians and religious or spiritual healers, rooted in humility and bidirectional learning, are essential for building trust and improving access to care. This work highlights the need for pluralistic and coconstructed approaches to early intervention that respect cultural frameworks rather than overwrite them.