Someone close to me.......

[Brian37]

This is manifestly untrue.

Boru

Opting for religion is like getting your suit dry cleaned at a place that charges $1000.  While it may help in small ways, it hurts in bigger ways.

It may be acting as a placebo right now for this person. But I have the same mental health issues, and can tell you especially when i was young and didn't know any better, you are absolutely correct. I also know this person's history and know how they have reacted to stress in the past. I think this person handled it better when they were married and had the kids living at home. 

But even outside this issue, humans when they feel like they are losing something or have lost something, can be easy targets for even things like street gangs or religious extremism. The flocking to a group gives one a sense of belonging and I am sure this is the mental attempt this person is trying to make, fill in a void, although it isn't a gang or terrorist group, the attempt to fill that sense of loss is the same mentality.