Respecting Other Religions and the Traumatic Triangle of Danger

Psychiatry & Society

H. Steven Moffic, MD, discusses the government showdown, Yom Kippur, forgiveness, and the war in Gaza.

What does the simultaneous occurrence of all these items mean for mental health? A government shut down could affect people's mental health and health care. Keystone's of Yom Kippur include atonement and forgiveness, important for mental health. There is also a new peace plan for Gaza; will it reach a resolution and bring peace to those affected? Moffic believes we need an interfaith dialogue process based on the values of tolerance and coexistence, like one of the items on the peace list.

"How do we respect, in this country, other people's religions and their important days?" asked Moffic. For religions other than Christianity, which is recognized in this country, Moffic believes it may be hard to recognize, respond to, and support the holidays of others.

"I hope we try to understand other religions better and work together as much as possible for peace and mental health," Moffic concluded.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.