A recently-published study led by university professors from Britain and the U.S.A. proves scientifically that lack of religious faith and practice plays a big part in depression.

The robust study, Religion and Depression in Adolescence, found that the more religious a young person is, the less risk there is of developing clinical depression and mental health problems. Conversely it shows that the less religious a person, the greater risk there is of an increasing severity of depression.

The study also found that when there is a strong increase in religiosity (for example, someone who doesn’t normally go to Mass or confession starts to go regularly) the risks of severe or moderate depression decrease by eleven percentage points.

“Perhaps the most surprising finding is that the effects were stronger, almost two-thirds stronger, in individuals with the most severe symptoms of depression, the most difficult to treat,” the researchers explain.