1. Mental illness
Dr Iram Sattar GP

2. Aims Myth busting What does Islam say about mental illness?
Types of mental health problems
Causes
Treatment
What can you do to help someone with mental illness?
Where to turn for help?
What can we do as a Muslim community?
Useful Resources

3. A little Quiz...

4. Timings 2.00 Prayers 2.15 Introduction 2.30 Quiz
2.40 Mental illness – causes, types
Group work – Impact of Mental Illness
Break
3.30 Treatment, how to help someone, Jinn
Group work – What can Muslim community do?
4.20 Q&A
4.30 End

5. What is ‘Mental Health’?
Being mentally healthy isn’t just not having a mental health problem.
Good mental health:
Make the most of your potential
Cope with life
Play a full part in your family, workplace, community and among friends
Also called ‘Emotional health’ or ‘Well-being’
We all have times when we feel down or stressed or frightened. Most of the time those feelings pass.
Everyone is different. You may bounce back from a setback while someone else may feel weighed down by it for a long time.
1. But sometimes they develop into a more serious problem.

6. Mental illness and Islam
All diseases are trial and test from Allah
Sins are forgiven
Abu Hurayrah narrates that The Prophet pbuh said: “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its remedy.” (Bukhari 7.582)
Usamah ibn Shuraik narrated: “… ‘O Allah’s Messenger! Should we seek medical treatment for our illnesses?’ He replied: ‘Yes, you should seek medical treatment, because Allah, the Exalted, has let no disease exist without providing for its cure, except for one ailment, namely, old age’.” (Tirmidhi)
To seek treatment!

7. Mental illness and Islam
Amber Haque (2004), "Psychology from Islamic Perspective: Contributions of Early Muslim Scholars and Challenges to Contemporary Muslim Psychologists", Journal of Religion and Health
Abu Zayd Al-Balkhi ( )
Described several types of mental illness
Criticised medical doctors for ignoring the psychological aspect of disease
Advocated psychotherapy
Ibn Sina ( )

8. Myth 1 – “not a real disease”
MYTH: Mental illness is caused by weakness rather than a medical disorder. Psychiatric disorders are not true medical illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. People who have a mental illness are just "crazy”.
FACT: It is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Research shows there are genetic and biological causes for psychiatric disorders, and they can be treated effectively. (Imbalance of neurotransmitters).

9. Causes of Mental illness
Genetic – family history
Small increased risk, most people do not have family members affected
Stressors – past and present
Difficult family background e.g. abuse - sexual, domestic violence, emotional, physical, financial, torture, etc.
Stressful life events e.g. work, family, marriage, bereavement, relationship difficulties, financial, abuse, etc.
Physical illness – head injury, long-term physical illness, epilepsy
Long term substance abuse
Social problems - poverty, domestic violence, isolation, poor housing and addiction

10. Myth 2 – “addiction is your own fault”
MYTH: Addiction is a lifestyle choice and shows a lack of willpower. People with a substance abuse problem are morally weak or "bad"
FACT: Addiction is a disease that generally results from changes in brain chemistry. It has nothing to do with being a "bad" person

11. Types of Mental illness
Depression
Anxiety
Schizophrenia
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Eating Disorders – Anorexia, Bulimia
Bipolar Disorder

12. Depression Common Lowers your mood
Feel hopeless, worthless, unmotivated, exhausted
Affects sleep, appetite, libido, self-esteem
Tearful
Mild, moderate, severe
Self-harm, suicidal thoughts
Anxiety and Depression are most common mental health problems

13. Anxiety
Common
Constant unrealistic worry about any aspect of daily life
Restless, sleeping problems, increased heart beat, stomach upset, feeling shaky, muscle tension (headaches)
Panic attacks
Phobias

14. Schizophrenia
Hearing voices and/or seeing (hallucinations) and believing (delusions) things other people don’t share and that are abnormal for your context
Confusion re thoughts, withdrawn, suspicious of others
Reluctant to believe help needed
Up to 4% of population hear voices – most have no problem
Thought insertion, thought withdrawal, thought broadcast
Voices – 1 or more, familiar or not, friendly or critical
Gandhi, Anthony Hopkins, John Forbes Nash (Nobel peace prize 1994, film- A Beautiful Mind), Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Sigmund Freud

15. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessions – repeated unwelcome thoughts, ideas, urges e.g.
contaminated by dirt/germs
worrying that you haven’t locked the door
Compulsions – repetitive activities that you feel you have to do a set number of times.
Obsessions interrupts your thoughts and concentration on work – feel anxious
Compulsions takes up time and relief is short lived

16. Eating Disorders Eating too much or too little Anorexia – lose weight
To feel control
Bulimia – More common. Weight is steady.
Binge, vomiting, laxatives
Constantly thinking about food, weight, self-image
To disguise emotional pain, deeper issues
1 in 20 women

17. Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
Extreme swings in mood
Mania – overactive, excited behaviour, euphoria
Depression
Hearing voices and/or seeing (hallucinations) and believing (delusions) things other people don’t share and that are abnormal for your context

18. Impact of Mental illness
Time to use your brain!
Individual
Family
Society
Other

19. Myth 3 – “pull yourself together”
MYTH: If you have a mental illness, you can will it away. Being treated for a psychiatric disorder means an individual has in some way "failed" or is weak.
FACT: A serious mental illness cannot be willed away. Ignoring the problem does not make it go away, either. It takes courage to seek professional help.

20. Treatment SUPPORT Exercise
Relaxation – music, art, reading , walking, resting
Talking therapies
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Counselling
Psychotherapy
Group therapy
Islamic Counselling
Relationship or family therapy
Medication
Minor tranquillisers or sleeping pills – to help someone calm down or sleep
Anti-depressants – to lift depression and anxiety
Anti-psychotics – to control disturbing thoughts
Mood stabilisers – to control extremes of mood

21. What can you do to help someone with a mental illness?
You don’t need to be an expert to help!
TALK – Don’t be afraid to ask how they are. They may want to talk about it or not. To let them know they don’t need to avoid the issue with you.
ASK – how can I help? Accompany to appointment. Exercise together. Help with shopping.
Be open-minded and LISTEN.
Talk about other things you would normally talk about too.
Learn about the mental health problem
Look after yourself
Emergency – A+E, Samaritan’s helpline, NHS 111
Non-emergency – leaflets, helpline, talking

22. Jinn related illness
Jinn mentioned in the Quran – made of smokeless fire, have free will, accountable for actions, can change form, have families, eat, die
Most scholars believe jinn possession is possible; some don’t
80-90% of those who think jinn related illness are wrong. Possession is even more rare.
Ruqya – recites verses from Quran
Patient will experience seizure and the jinn will speak through the client.
No seizure occurs, but signs indicate that jinn caused the problem and is now gone.
Nothing happens, in which case the problem was physiological or psychological.

23. What can we as a Muslim community do to help those with mental illness?
Discuss...
Individuals
Society, mosques
Work
Home
Friends, family
Government
Etc.

24. Resources www.mind.org.uk www.mentalhealth.org.uk www.rethink.org
- 24hr helpline: –

25. Resources - videos www.talkingfromtheheart.org
Videos in Somali, Urdu, Bengali/Sylheti
Videos and transcripts of people's experience with having a mental health problem. Also of parents, siblings, carers.
Videos and transcript of Sara (Muslim), aged 20, talking about her mental health problems and the stigma she faced from her family.
They are 10-15mins long each and the Somali video has a patient talking about her mental health problems. They also contain an Imam and health professionals in each of the 3 videos.
Healthtalkonline.org is a great resource with people's stories about a whole range of health problems.
Youthhealthtalk.org is a great resource with young people's stories about a range of health problems

26. Questions
Is there a link between Domestic Violence and mental health concerning both women and their children, particularly in adulthood?
A woman runs a social support group, one of the stakeholders presents to her that she has frequent and numerous suicidal thoughts. She doesn't appear to be an immediate danger to herself or anyone else. In such a circumstance, what do you recommend she does in response?

27. Thank you!