Spirituality is very different from religiosity. One does not need to belong to any organized denomination or sect to wonder about the meaning of one’s own life. It is psychologically depressing to lead a meaningless life, and many of my depressed patients have lost track of the idea that all of our Creator’s children are precious, even though none are perfect (Thing 14). We are responsible for making our own lives meaningful, useful, and joyful, and when a patient feels his life is meaningless, I consider it a spiritual problem.
Nobody goes to the doctor to get his religion changed, and I don’t preach to my patients, but just saying that my perception is that the patient has a spiritual problem seems to open doors and cause a different kind of introspection that is often productive. Rather than the Bible, a quote from the Declaration of Independence is a good starting point: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”