Role of Religion in Treating Mental Health: A Qualitative Study from Khonsa, Tirap District, Arunachal Pradesh

Author(s)	Dr. Ruthcha Tongluk
Country	India
Abstract	Mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are increasingly affecting youth in India, particularly in regions with limited access to professional mental health services (World Health Organization [WHO], 2013). In such contexts, religion often emerges as a significant source of emotional, social, and psychological support (Koenig, 2012). This study examines the role of religion in addressing mental health through a qualitative case study from Khonsa town in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh. Drawing on an interview with a youth pastor from the Khonsa Town Baptist Church, the study explores how prayer centres and faith-based counseling function as coping and healing mechanisms for individuals experiencing psychological distress. The findings indicate that religious institutions operate as informal therapeutic spaces by providing emotional reassurance, moral regulation, social integration, and meaning-making (Durkheim, 1912; Weber, 1922). While religious interventions cannot replace clinical mental health care, they play an important complementary role in culturally religious and resource-constrained settings.
Keywords	mental health; youth; Christianity; Arunachal Pradesh; prayer centres
Field	Sociology
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On	2026-01-25
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.67421

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