The nation’s mental health crisis seems to be getting worse, but is the remedy much closer to home than we think? 

The problem is particularly sharp among youth, with recently published research in Pediatrics showing as many as 40 percent of high schoolers reporting persistent sadness and hopelessness, and a frightening 10 percent report having attempted suicide.  

But religious practice, it seems, can offer protection. Recently, the Wheatley Institute published a report which found that religious involvement is associated with better mental, physical and social health. 

It’s therefore not surprising that the rise of religious non-affiliation over the last 40 years has been accompanied by the epidemic of loneliness, suicide, and explosive growth in mental illness. 

This certainly isn’t the only driver of the crisis. The smartphone revolution, and the social media and digital mazes it has produced, has undoubtedly contributed.

Yet, even here, religious practice tends to mitigate and protect from the effects of this horrific situation.

And, while religious non-affiliation appears to have plateaued in the last few years, it remains at or near all-time historic highs. The........

© Townhall