I’m always a little skeptical of studies that try to determine whether prayer helps people recover from illness.

Not because I don’t believe in prayer, but because I think religious tenets usually can’t be measured within a scientific framework. Therefore, such studies just seem like a waste of time: No matter what your beliefs, you probably won’t change your mind - or your prayer habits - based on the results.

However, I think it’s great when people affected by mental illness find strength and coping strategies in religion and spirituality.

For one thing, houses of worship can provide a great sense of community and support, which alleviates feelings of loneliness.

Clergy and other religious leaders can also often be a person’s first stop when seeking help. Some churches, including First Presbyterian in Evanston, even run counseling centers.

Sadly, some congregations have done great harm over the years, telling people that if they really loved or trusted God, they wouldn’t be depressed.

Well, tell that to Jesus. Or Job. Or Jeremiah, or any one of a number of biblical people who weren’t super-happy all the time.

Besides the Christian tradition, Buddhism and Hinduism make heavy use of meditation, which comes in various forms and has many possible health benefits.

World of Psychology shares a study being done at Emory University on how to prevent depression before it starts by using “compassion meditation,” promoted by the Dalai Lama.

His Holiness tells CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta that while depression has a biological basis, it can be mitigated by changing how we think about other people. Instead of seeing some as enemies, some as friends and the rest as “other,” we should try to treat everyone the same, “with hands of compassion moving in action.”

(The New Testament has a somewhat similar concept.)

The research team at Emory says the study looks promising. Perhaps researching religion and prevention will be more conclusive than religion and cures.