Psychology and mental health

Angelica Guajardo

from an Islamic Perspective

OutlineWhat is psychology from an Islamic perspective?

Theological: Qur’an and Hadith on mental illnessTheoretical: Contributions of early muslim scholars to psychology field

How do Muslim Americans interpret and treat mental illness in the 21st century? Treatment of mental illnesses todaySalat and the brain

‘ilm-al Nafsiāt

Study of the nafs “self” or “psyche”

Nafs encompasses a broad range of topics including:

the qalb (heart), the ruh (spirit),the aql (intellect)

mental health=“self well-being”

Qur’an and Hadith on mental health

"Do not give your property which God assigned you to manage to the insane: but feed and cloth the insane with this property and tell splendid words to him.” (Qur’an 4:5).“There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its remedy.” (Bukhari 7.582)“And never give up hope of Allah's soothing Mercy: truly no one despairs of Allah's soothing Mercy, except those who have no faith.” (Quran, 12:87)

Al-Balkhi850-934 CE

first introduced concepts of mental health and mental hygiene

book: Masalih al-Abdan wa al-anfus (Sustenance for Body and Soul)

first book that discussed psychosomatic diseases with an emphasis on soul and body

"if the nafs (psyche) gets sick, the body may also find no joy in life with development of a physical illness"

Al-Razi (Razes)854 CE – 925 CE

director of first psychiatric ward in the world

was located in Bagdad, Iraq

Two books: El-mansuri and Al-hawi

mention complaints, signs, differential diagnosis and effective treatment of an illness

mental illnesses= medical conditions

treated them with psychotherapy and drug treatment

Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

al-Qanun (Cannon of Medicine)provides

descriptions and treatments for: insomnia, mania, epilepsy, depression

980-1037 CEbelieved in importance of link between mind and body

pioneer of psychosomatic medicine

Muslim American’s definition of mental illness

2014 Exploratory Study of American Muslim Conceptions of Mental Illness

A majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that mental illness is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

However, other majority agreed mental illness is caused by psycho-spiritual or social elements.

Salat and the brainincreases alpha waves in the brain

regular Salat practices may help promote relaxation, minimize anxiety, (and also reduces cardiovascular risks).

suppression of sympathetic system (flight-or-fight)

shows a profound connection between mind and body.

References

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705684/http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jmmh/10381607.0008.104/--exploratory-study-of-american-muslim-conceptions-of-mental?rgn=main;view=fulltexthttp://www.academia.edu/3075855/Spiritual_Dimensions_in_Mental_Health_A_Preliminary_from_Islamic_Overviewshttp://ibro.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Arab-and-Muslim-Contributions-to-Modern-Neuroscience.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21965118