"Sometimes my atheism tends to distance myself from my patients." All "isms" - ie, the dogmatic belief that one is in absolute possession of the whole truth, and all others who believe differently are foolish and deluded - distance us from one another. That, and not the nature of the belief (delusional or otherwise) is the cause of most wars, terrorism and oppression, and if you replaced "atheism" with the religion of your choice, I respectfully propose that your post above would sound exactly like the rationalisations of the kind of people who think it is their duty to knock on doors and proselytize to others. You are NOT the thought police, and any beliefs (delusional or otherwise: it's irrelevant) that help and support a person to get through life, while not harming anyone else, deserve respect - life is hard enough for most people, without anyone else needing to rob them of something that genuinely gives their lives meaning.