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I went on the Net concerning a friend who has had clinical depression. I came across a Youtube video Islam; The Best Cure For Depression or a title something like that. I decided to watched the video. It featured a religious leader claiming that depression can be cured by finding Allah and trusting in him. The video had somewhere well over 100,000 views and many thumb-ups of approval. I wrote a comment under the video stating that seeking professional help in the field of mental disorders was the best advice for depression. I received a reply by a Muslim stating that I must not have knowledge of either depression or Islam, because Islam is the answer to such disorders. I informed the person that not only is depression itself potentially disabling, but depression can be the sign of life threatening conditions, such as brain tumors. I tried to remain civil, but when engaging in profound ignorance, civility is sometimes difficult.
The last straw was that I was informed the America has many more known cases of depression while Islamic regions have very few. It didn't do me any good to state that Islamic regions are obviously not keen in diagnosing and recording depression since all that is seemingly required to remedy it is Islam. They may not keep records of such things at all. My irritation got the best of me when I added that a psychologist might be punished for recommending actual professional therapy as opposed to having the patient seek Allah. I concluded the discussion by stating that people, be they Muslims, Christians, whatever, should be first concerned with the welfare of people rather than the welfare of their religion. The video, and the comments I received, were examples of the latter of the two.
Concepts from medieval Islamic thought have been reexamined by Muslimpsychologists and scholars in the 20th and 21st centuries.
In addition to medication, treatment for mental illness might include baths, music, and occupational therapy reflecting the great emphasis placed on the relationship between illness of the mind and problems in the body. Medicine would be prescribed in order to re-balance the four humors of the body, an imbalance of which might result in psychosis. Insomnia, for example, was thought to result from excessive amounts of the dry humors which could be remedied by the use of humectants.
This said, i think people in general don't accept to see a psychologist when they face depression.
For some people psychologist = for the crazy persons
Anyway, Islam can help people to feel better. It gives them a purpose to life, a hope in God, more strenght to fight when facing difficulties, accepting the good and the bad in life and prepared for that etc
It shows them that alcohol, parties, running after money etc is not that good , so when people realize that and return to God they start to have a more sane life.
In general people say that listening to Quran give them some peace.
I have no doubt that Islam can allow people to feel better, just as any religion can have that psychological effect. I became annoyed when I was informed that potential underlying causes of depression such as brain chemistry imbalance, possible tumors, etc., can be solved by a trust in Allah. In a comment I was told by a second poster that I was probably one of those people who believed in evolution, as though I was being insulted. That comment was given several thumbs-up in support. Sometimes the internet can be a little surreal.
I cannot imagine how terrible and depressing it would be to think that a vengeful supernatural being is watching and judging your every move. Further, Islam does not put a high value on life. It's death that matters.
And, from what I read, suicide and depression is not unusual ... and now young Muslims are killing themselves. I'm guessing you know about honor killings. How horrible for a child to have that hanging over their head. Also, rape by family members is common. Muslim children have to deal with that.
"As girls in the Middle East are considered worth less than boys, it may be that their incestuous use during childhood is even more prevalent. One report found that four out of five Middle Eastern women recalled having been forced into fellatio between the ages of 3 and 6 by older brothers and other relatives.[12] A female Arab physician who recently conducted an extensive study of childhood seduction reported that "most female children are exposed to … incidents of sexual assault" during their early years by "the brother, the cousin, the paternal uncle, the maternal uncle, the grandfather or even the father. If not a family member, he may be the guardian or porter of the house, the teacher, the neighbor's son, or any other man." [13] The molestation, she says, begins with masturbation or fellatio and then proceeds to intercourse. "In most cases the girl surrenders and is afraid to complain to anyone, since, if there is any punishment to be meted out, it will always end up by being inflicted on her. It is she alone who loses her honor and virginity. The man never loses anything … " The incidents are termed "frequent, but remain hidden, stored up in the secret recesses of the female child's self, since she dare not tell anyone of what has happened to her … " Lloyd DeMause, "The Universality Of Incest", The Journal of Psychohistory, Fall 1991, Vol. 19, No. 2
I've done work with children that were sexually abused and they are deeply affected.
According to figures in an Oxfam report, 87 percent of Afghan women report having experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence or forced marriage. A survey conducted in France in May 2003 found that 77 percent of girls wearing the hijab said they did so because of physical threats from Islamist groups. A series in the newspaper Liberation in 2003 documented how Muslim women and girls in France who refuse to wear the hijab are insulted, rejected and often physically threatened by Muslim males. Muslim women who try to rebel are considered "whores" and treated as outcasts.
That's all I have time for now, but I'll add more later.
Depression comes in many forms, degrees and is caused by different factors.
Religions do generate positive feelings to counter some types of depression but it would be ridiculous to generalize that religions can cure all depression.
While religions do contra depression with positive feelings, they [except Buddhism which does some rewirings] do not deal directly with the root causes.
If the depression is severe and caused by brain lesions and complex neural circuitry, then adopting Islam [especially] is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
That is because there tons of verses that contain negative elements [of contempt in various degrees] directed at the non-Muslims plus there are hundreds of verses that inspire violence and martyrdom which are attractive especially to the depressive person.
If 1% [very conservative] of the 1.5 billion are severely depress and evil prone we have 15 million potential Muslims who are primed for violence. If we sell Islam to the other 5.5 billion as a cure for depression, then we are increasing the potential in violence.
The following are verses that the more-depressive are likely to be attracted to; [mine]
3:185. Every soul will taste of death. And ye [mankind] will be paid on the Day of Resurrection only that which ye have fairly earned. Whoso [Muslims] is removed from the Fire and is made to enter Paradise, he [as Muslim] indeed is triumphant. The life of this world is but comfort of illusion.
Since the life in this world is merely an illusion [the depressive natural inclination] they would easily opt for the following option.
3:157. And what though ye [Muslims] be slain in Allah's way or die therein? Surely pardon from Allah and mercy [on Judgment Day paradise] are better than all that they [Muslims can] amass.
The above is not a speculation but a reality that is happening all over the world.
Last edited by Continuum; 09-15-2015 at 08:22 PM..
I went on the Net concerning a friend who has had clinical depression. I came across a Youtube video Islam; The Best Cure For Depression or a title something like that. I decided to watched the video. It featured a religious leader claiming that depression can be cured by finding Allah and trusting in him. The video had somewhere well over 100,000 views and many thumb-ups of approval. I wrote a comment under the video stating that seeking professional help in the field of mental disorders was the best advice for depression. I received a reply by a Muslim stating that I must not have knowledge of either depression or Islam, because Islam is the answer to such disorders. I informed the person that not only is depression itself potentially disabling, but depression can be the sign of life threatening conditions, such as brain tumors. I tried to remain civil, but when engaging in profound ignorance, civility is sometimes difficult.
The last straw was that I was informed the America has many more known cases of depression while Islamic regions have very few. It didn't do me any good to state that Islamic regions are obviously not keen in diagnosing and recording depression since all that is seemingly required to remedy it is Islam. They may not keep records of such things at all. My irritation got the best of me when I added that a psychologist might be punished for recommending actual professional therapy as opposed to having the patient seek Allah. I concluded the discussion by stating that people, be they Muslims, Christians, whatever, should be first concerned with the welfare of people rather than the welfare of their religion. The video, and the comments I received, were examples of the latter of the two.
The mental disordered people were just the people who were not happy with the contemporary states of lives. And there are no ways in treating them physically, such as, giving the medicines. The logic was this: you treat a person who is not happy with the contemporary lives with the contemporary medicines, and how should the mechanism work?
And if you think a person just a big chalk of meat, then that is really your business and I am not bothering to communicate with you in person any more. I must be insane to talk with a chalk of meat on the butcher stall.
I became annoyed when I was informed that potential underlying causes of depression such as brain chemistry imbalance, possible tumors, etc., can be solved by a trust in Allah. In a comment I was told by a second poster that I was probably one of those people who believed in evolution, as though I was being insulted. That comment was given several thumbs-up in support. Sometimes the internet can be a little surreal.
I remember an imam saying once about a woman who had some problems and went to speak to him that he asked her if she had a shock in her life and to tell him about it.
So she said that her mother had cancer and she died in her arms. That it was really shoking for her because she was bleeding (cancer of the throat) and she had kind of a hole on the throat or something like that.
He wanted her to finish the story until she stopped crying. Then she felt better.
So her, the women was depressed and just needed to let this out. It's something she could have done with a psychologist. But sometimes, people go to see the Imam before a specialist.
I heard many Imams who fortunatly have learned about human psychology (but not all) so they could have help them. But it's not their job.
There's things that religion can do for people depressed like the exemples i gave, but others things who are more complicated because the brain is complicated.
I have some friends and people in my familly who are doctors and psychologists and it' a complicated (psychology) topic that you need to study for years.
I hope your friend is ok.
What about him ? Have he seen a psychologyst ? Is he a believer ?
I remember an imam saying once about a woman who had some problems and went to speak to him that he asked her if she had a shock in her life and to tell him about it.
So she said that her mother had cancer and she died in her arms. That it was really shoking for her because she was bleeding (cancer of the throat) and she had kind of a hole on the throat or something like that.
He wanted her to finish the story until she stopped crying. Then she felt better.
So her, the women was depressed and just needed to let this out. It's something she could have done with a psychologist. But sometimes, people go to see the Imam before a specialist.
I heard many Imams who fortunatly have learned about human psychology (but not all) so they could have help them. But it's not their job.
There's things that religion can do for people depressed like the exemples i gave, but others things who are more complicated because the brain is complicated.
I have some friends and people in my familly who are doctors and psychologists and it' a complicated (psychology) topic that you need to study for years.
I hope your friend is ok.
What about him ? Have he seen a psychologyst ? Is he a believer ?
Things like clinical depression, clinical anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bi-polar can be hard to self-diagnose. Clinical depression is not the same as simple sadness or grief for a deceased loved one. And as I said in another comment, underlying causes could be life-threatening medically.
There were several things that really hit me about the video. One was that it seemed to be done by a recognized religious leader since it was an excerpt from a sermon videoed in front of a large congregation. Also; he was very explicit about Allah being the answer to all forms and manner of depression. The video had a "viewed" count of six digits with thousands giving it a thumbs-up and a fraction of that number giving it a thumbs down. Many of the viewer comments spoke out against medical science, and specifically against psychology, in favor of Islam, often grandly in favor of Islam. And then there was the feedback I got from my comments.
As for my friend, he sought medical help about a month ago and is doing better. I think he is on, or is going through a couple forms of therapy. He kind of disappeared emotionally. Soon thereafter he disappeared physically from those around him, and life in general. He was then encouraged to seek professional help. I was wondering about his therapies and prognosis when I found the video on Youtube.
Religions making claims to help mental disorders and illnesses is a dangerous thing.
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