I guess it’s like the AA folks putting their trust in a “higher power.” It relieves them of having to take responsibility for their actions since they can just point to the big guy in charge. Lazy people don’t want to think for themselves, they can just do what someone else tells them to do.

I have been less depressed and suicidal since I left Christianity. For me, I was never good enough. Now, I am ME, and I'm much happier for it.

OK a discussion I'm having elsewhere (FB) suggested that the underlying phenomenon here might be community support. Consider this article researching depression vs. collectivist cultures: [northwestern.edu]

Don't need to read it, my "Christian upbring" was a diagnosed major contributory factor to my bipolar disorder manifesting itself the way it did.
Years of being terrorised about sin hell and evil spirits haunting you from the age of 4-14 will do that for you.

I can see it both ways. Mostly, as I have experienced, a persons age upon accepting the belief is a massive factor. The most devout believers have arrived at their person bottom and turned to a faith based system for redemption. In this way the deity is a source of forgiveness and peace. My personal journey, being born and raised baptist, was one of realizing that, according to the bible, I was part of a lineage of scum. A peoples who would never be able to repair a torn relationship, and even after redemption continuously failed to meet the tenants of what it is to be a christian. I may have fooled others, but on the inside I was only human. This never ending string of failures had me turn to drugs and alcohol to patch the pain. NA and AA literally saved my life, and it was a belief in "god" that set me on a path of self destruction.

Naturally there are others who did not face/experience what I have. And I am almost certain there are some who did, yet reacted differently.

As a descriptive category, "Religion and Spirituality" is so broad and vague as to be almost meaningless. Some attitudes and practices that might fall under that heading could be diametrically opposite from each other in philosophy.

I don't doubt, at all, that some worldviews are more conducive to mental health than others.

It's interesting to me that a majority of non-scholars (in that field) are certain they know what the word "religion" means, when there is no consensus among religious scholars.

For some folks who really believe. I can see that working for them.

I'm too lazy to read the article, but I can see how that is true. Believing that an all powerful being will fix everything "soon" can allow people to shut off a lot of worries. To be honest, it's something I envy sometimes.

On a personal level, it never helped me. I'm less prone to depression as a non-believer.

In my personal opinion, for what it's worth, if religion is used in any manner or matter regarding any positive affects/effects it has on anyone's life, it is nothing more than a placebo effect. As an A-theist it has to be that since religions and gods are nothing more than myths and fairy tales.

“Future studies may want to use samples with more stable measures across a longer time period to validate our findings. Of course, all results require replication.”

It'll be interesting to see what those "future studies" find.

I think it's quite plausible. My brother and I both suffer from periodic depression and anxiety..and I think that's actually healthy because it makes you move towards change. My sis in law is hard core Christian...and I love her...but she has made remarks that my brother and I have "chosen"..to feel those feelings when they happen and we could "choose" to be happier.

Stranger things have happened trump got elected!

My life experience tells me quite the opposite. I know personally of people who are deeply religious and severely depressed, I would even say religion has caused their depression, it has actually unhinged them completely. My husband’s uncle tested his faith by drinking rat poison....his reasoning was that God wouldn’t let him die because he was all powerful and could do miracles. Of course he died a painful, lingering death. I know of others too, but that one was the most extreme example.

Everyone's got an opinion, flimsy though they may be.