Islam and Mental Health (part I)

The minutes pass by as hours, the hours take days. I am lying alone, my mind racing, trying to make sense of my life experiences, but it just won’t let me be content. I try forcing my mind to think of other matters, to think of God, but as I recite verses or do dhikr, my mind wanders back to the dilemmas of this world. I sleep jaggedly, wake up early, and find it tough to start the day. As the day moves on, I can’t seem to find interest in the things which usually get me going. I pray, I call family, I call friends. I run, I listen to music, I put myself in social settings, but my mind won’t let me be. I search for answers and for reasons, moving from solution to solution but they aren’t solving the problem. What’s wrong with me? Am I weak Muslim? Am I depressed? Do I need a break from the stresses of life? Do I need to get married? (you’d be surprised how many Muslim youth think that one)

This vignette illustrates a common situation where one’s mental status can affect their lives. Many causes are there, but the solutions to this and other mental disorders are difficult for me to think of in the context of Islam. Islamic history has taught us that these problems are real. The Qur’an has multiple examples of how we will face our share of tribulations, stress, and other difficult times in life and the sunnah has examples of when the Prophet grieves a loss or asks Allah in du’a to save him from having “sadness and worries” among other trials of this world. Multiple scholars of the Islamic tradition have also mentioned mental health in their works. The scholar/physician al-Razi acknowledged “medicine of the spirit”. Both Ibn Miskawayh and Ibn Sina wrote in their works that an ill soul can have dominating effects on the body.

Like all modern-day soul searchers, I turned to the internet and tried to do some research. To my surprise, I came across a plethora of articles, websites, and discussion forums addressing the issue from a Muslim context. There was no unified voice or method in which to deal with the issue, but it was uplifting to see that at least it was being talked about in the online world, unlike the real one. Some mentioned mental health as a weakness in faith and how going to Allah will solve their problems. Others took the opposite view and said that we should accept the western definition and handle the matter much the same way they do. A third middle voice is still working on how to combine the two extremes. It would be exhaustive to mention what each site mentioned, but it’s worth a simple Google search.

If Islam acknowledges diseases of the mind, and scholars do, and people are willing to talk about it online at least, then why are Muslims today so mum on the issue?

Muslims are not immune to mental health issues and if anything, are more in need of guidance regarding the issue than ever before. In today’s world, they face mental health problems beyond those of the average human being. The most obvious reason being that of the new post 9/11 world. Muslims have become the new “Fascists” of the world – everyone’s favorite target for discrimination, judgment, and hate. One cannot read a news source without a plethora of stories showing the deplorable conditions of Muslims around the world – from Sudan to Pakistan and very much in the western world now. Some stories are warranted, but most are simply there because we’re “newsworthy” now. This in itself can be depressing and bring about anxiety attacks. Discrimination is felt by Muslims wherever they may be a minority. They are encouraged to huddle into their enclaves or to assimilate. Hijabis face a tough time not only in the west, but in many Muslim countries now, where countries are polarizing over the issue. We battle with the globalization and western values/ways of life that do not mix with Islam and try to fit the two together. “Extremists”, in my opinion, are simply confused, vulnerable individuals who are struggling to deal more with mental and social issues than religious ones. All of these issues lead to major conflicts within the Muslim mind and to a constant battle to balance religion, this world, and simply being human. All of this is in addition to “normal” psychological disorders including but not limited to schizophrenia, personality disorders, various forms of abuse, and childhood disorders.

So what should we do? I’m not an expert but here are my two cents on what Muslims should work towards

1. Bring this issue to the table. In addition to charity, hijab, and other worthy Islamic topics, mental health should be discussed in public at masjids, MSAs, and other Muslim gatherings. Mental health is a stigma that all cultures struggle to openly discuss so Muslims should be proactive on the topic, willing to discuss such an integral part of religion and life. Muslims more in tune with mental health issues and their effects can become more productive Muslims in both the spiritual and worldly sense. A statistic that illustrates the realness of the issue is one from the World Health Organization. They estimate that major depression is the fourth most important cause worldwide of loss in disability-adjusted life years and will be the second by 2020 (right behind ischemic heart disease!) .

2. Islam is a perfect religion. And to those who practice the religion in a close to perfect manner, with full faith in all their actions, then I truly believe that mental health is controlled for in the religion (excluding those that have severe brain chemistry alterations or some genetic cause). But the problem is that without Muslim societies/environments, and the trials of this world, those that are perfect Muslims are few and far between. The Qur’an also mentions those that will have their hearts sealed if they stray far from the religion so how can we account for their mental health? There has to be a combination of modern science, clinical practice, and Islam intertwined to tackle these issues. What can make our approach more lasting is if we attack the root of issues and incorporate religion instead of treating them symptomatically as western medicine usually does.

3. Muslims need to get involved in the field. This not only includes more Muslim healthcare professionals, but those that study the field as a science, social workers, and scholars. Most views on psychology and the mind have been created by Western thinkers. Maybe Muslim research will prove much of the same but an alternative method of looking at these issues may be developed unique to the Muslim experience. I would also encourage seriously studying the medicine of the Prophet in a scientific manner. Lastly, the scholars of today must incorporate what is being discovered in psychology and related fields into their thinking and understanding of Islam.

When searching the internet, my goal was to find solutions to mental health issues from an Islamic point of view. I think I was too naïve since there is no silver bullet to the mind, but I did discover the views of many others that can lead me towards viable solutions. Some may need to go towards God, others may simply need a friend, while another may need medication to get them back on their feet. One certainty in all this is that Islam fully embraces and acknowledges the mental health challenges of this world and that we as Muslims must address this issue head on.

Here are some interesting sites that address mental health specifically. For many other articles, just Google away.
www.crescentlife.com
www.positive-action.net/al-yusra/flashindex.htm
www.emro.who.int/publications/emhj/0703/7Islam.htm