First International Congress on Religion and Mental Health

Abstract

The First International Congress on Religion and Mental Health was held April 16-19,2001 in Tehran, Iran. It was sponsored by the Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Psychiatric Institute, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Mental Health, The Research Institute for Rehabilitation and Improvement of Women's Life (Iran), and the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Science and religion have generally seemed to oppose each other when it comes to an understanding and upliftment of human behaviors. The tide is turning however; as increasing number of research in the West is showing indisputable evidence on the positive influence of religion on human thoughts and behaviors, specifically, in the area of mental health. The present congress highlighted all this in its four-day meeting of scholars in the field of religion and mental health representing 23 countries from around the globe. The key feature of the conference was the presentation of empirical findings on the benefits of religion in fostering and maintaining positive mental health. The Islamic Republic of Iran, a country, known for its hard line approach toward secularism and sanctioned by the West in many ways, attracted some of the best scholars from the Americas and Europe. The Congress Secretary, Dr. Jafar Bolhari, indicated in his speech that this conference has at least three objectives: (1) Presentation of scientific research in the area of psychiatry and psychology carried out in Iran, in the area of psychiatry and psychology, which can be beneficial to the Iranian as well as international community, (2) Presentation of integrated research done in Iran by the Muslim clergy and scientists collaborating together and discussion of its implications at national and international levels, and (3) Observation of April 7, 2001 as World Health Day with the theme of "Mental Health" declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since mental health professionals have generally ignored religion and spirituality, this conference was organized to deal specifically with these issues in the interest of the average person. Out of 242 research papers received by the congress, the Scientific ...