Religious belief, in general, is not regarded as a mental illness by international mental health professionals or diagnostic guidelines. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), a global standard for the identification and classification of health conditions, does not list religious belief as a mental disorder. This reflects a broad consensus in the global mental health community that having religious beliefs or participating in religious practices is not in itself indicative of mental illness.

However, it is recognized worldwide that when religious beliefs or practices lead to significant distress or impair an individual's ability to function in daily life, this might be indicative of a mental health issue. It's not the religious belief itself that is classified as a mental illness, but the distress or impairment it may cause in these specific cases. For example, in the context of disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or schizophrenia, religious themes might emerge in the symptoms, such as obsessions, compulsions, delusions, or hallucinations. But these symptoms are not confined to religious themes and can involve a wide range of other topics as well.

Lastly, it's important to highlight the role of cultural context in understanding the relationship between religion and mental health. Around the world, behaviors and experiences that are considered normal within one religious or cultural context might be viewed as unusual or pathological in another. For example, certain religious practices like trance states or experiences of divine communication, which might be considered symptoms of mental illness in some contexts, are understood as normal and valued experiences in other cultural or religious settings. Hence, the ICD-11, like other diagnostic manuals, emphasizes the importance of taking cultural context into account when diagnosing mental health disorders.

For further reading, you might consider looking at the World Health Organization's ICD-11, which provides international standards for classifying health conditions, including mental health disorders. Another resource is the book "Culture and Mental Health: A comprehensive textbook" by Kamaldeep Bhui and Dinesh Bhugra, which explores cultural influences on mental health across the globe. Finally, the World Psychiatric Association's Transcultural Psychiatry Section provides numerous resources on culture and mental health, including research articles and educational materials.
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