Clergy Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Health risks for ministry in the United States == In recent years, studies have suggested that American clergy in certain [[Protestantism|Protestant]], [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] and [[Judaism|Jewish]] traditions are more at risk than the general population of obesity, hypertension and depression.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} Their life expectancies have fallen in recent years and in the last decade{{when|date=May 2021}} their use of antidepressants has risen.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} Several religious bodies in the United States ([[United Methodist Church|Methodist]], [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]], [[Baptists|Baptist]] and [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]) have implemented measures to address the issue, through [[Workplace wellness|wellness]] campaigns, for example β but also by simply ensuring that clergy take more time off. {{More citations needed|date=November 2022}} It is unclear whether similar symptoms affect American [[Islam|Muslim]] clerics, although an anecdotal comment by one American imam suggested that leaders of mosques may also share these problems.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/nyregion/02burnout.html?scp=1&sq=clergy&st=cse|title=Evidence Grows of Problem of Clergy Burnout|first=Paul|last=Vitello|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2 August 2010|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-date=9 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009191659/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/nyregion/02burnout.html?scp=1&sq=clergy&st=cse|url-status=live}}</ref> One exception to the findings of these studies is the case of American [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] priests, who are required by [[canon law]] to take a spiritual retreat each year, and four weeks of vacation.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} Sociological studies at the [[University of Chicago]] have confirmed this exception; the studies also took the results of several earlier studies into consideration and included Roman Catholic priests nationwide.<ref> See A. M. Greeley, ''Priests: A Calling in Crisis'' (University of Chicago Press, 2004). </ref> It remains unclear whether American clergy in other religious traditions experience the same symptoms, or whether clergy outside the United States are similarly affected.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page