ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to understand the perceptions of health professionals, patients and their families with regard to religion and psychiatric disorders. It is an ethnographic study. For analysis, it was used the content analysis. Categories identified: 1. Religious/spirituality experience as a factor that strengthens the individual in the confrontation of the disease; 2. Religious/spirituality experience as a factor that complicates the treatment; 3. Difficulties encountered by the professional in dealing with the religious/spirituality experience of patients and family members. It is necessary to recognize the need for a cultural approach to the topic. Many questions remain unanswered and challenge researchers in the field.
KEYWORDS:
Religion; Mental health; Spirituality; Psychiatry; Mental disorders