Moral and Spiritual Causes of Mental Health Problems: Exploring the Spectrum of Perspectives of Indonesian Religious Leaders

This article extends models that connect religion and spirituality (R/S) to the diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems to the Indonesian context, which is highly religious while being dominated by secular psychological approaches. It is based on findings from a qualitative study that analyzed writings and speeches of 30 influential leaders from three religions in Indonesia (Buddhism, Islam and Protestant Christianity). While leaders from all three groups asserted that mental health problems have R/S causes, they differed on the extent to which they connected these causes with biophysical, psychological and social causes, largely based on multidisciplinary backgrounds and the context of their primary audience. The article proposes a new conceptual model to explain how religious leaders explain the connection between R/S and other factors through moral (healthy) living, moral thinking and moral behaving. This model contributes to a shared vocabulary for religious leaders and mental health professionals to collaborate in addressing a growing mental health crisis.