Belief in Resurrection: Dysthymics Versus Normals

Dysthymia is one of the subgroups of mood disorders characterized by chronicity which persists throughout the day in almost all days of the week. A sizeable number of patients visiting psychiatric clinics are affected by this illness. The theme of this study was to assess the extent of the dysthymic patients' belief in 'resurrection'.
The sample of study comprised 74 patients who were suffering from dysthymia and received treatment at Noor Medical Centre in Esfahan, in 1996 from October to December. The subjects were matched with a non-dysthymic group while controlling for age, sex, education and religion. A self-developed index containing 22 items evaluating the subjects' belief in 'resurrection' was administered on them and they responded voluntarily.
Comparing the mean score of the subjects, the patient group with 34.38 and the control group with 58.19, differed from each other significantly. This observation is explained in the text.
This promising observation can widen our understanding about the problem of dysthymic patients. Therapists' knowledge of the clients' belief system can facilitate intervention strategies designed to ameliorate the illness condition.