Muslim Mental Health Research Articles

The Muslim Mental Health Initiative: An Overview and Steps for Development and Implementation on American College Campuses

ABSTRACT Access to mental health care for Muslim students is paramount in light of the rapidly growing Muslim population, increasing racial discrimination, and prevalent mental health crisis in the United States. This paper introduces a comprehensive model developed in collaboration with Stanford University and the Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab, designed to provide tailored, faith-sensitive care to Muslim students seeking support from Islamically-informed therapists. By examining qualitative data, this paper offers valuable insights that can serve as a blueprint for implementing similar initiatives on other college campuses. The outcomes of this research are anticipated to provide an evidence-based framework for promoting the holistic wellness of Muslim American college students, contributing to their academic success and personal development in the years to come.

Conceptualization and Models of Mulsim Counseling in Ghana

Ghana is a secular state in which Islam is the second largest religion. Counselors who follow principles in Islam and Muslim culture, comprising imams and followers, serve as de facto mental health providers, but their counseling practices have received limited research attention. This study examined the conceptualizations and counseling practices of 19 Muslim counselors aged 32–72 (M=57.83; SD=12.95) who follow principles in Islam and Muslim culture in southern Ghana. Qualitative data was obtained using one-on-one verbal interviews. Data was inductively and thematically analyzed. Results were organized around five main areas: (1) counseling inventory, (2) conceptualizations of counseling, (3) counseling models, (4) process considerations, and (5) personal prescriptions. Participants conceptualized counseling primarily as advising. They provided services in nine different languages and utilized advising and mediatorial models of counseling. The counselors attended to religious considerations and socio-gender norms in their counseling. The study fills important gaps in Muslim mental health research. Implications for professional psychology training and practice, as well as mental health research and advocacy, have been discussed.

The Development and Implementation of a Custom-Tailored Suicide Response Training for Muslim Communities.

Research indicates that the suicide attempt rate among American Muslims is at least twice the rate of the national US average and follows a different trend of suicide behavior compared to other groups. Religious leaders, such as Imams, are commonly sought out for support, but many lack training in mental health crisis management. The Stanford Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology Lab created the Muslim Community Suicide Response Manual and its accompanying training modules to address this issue. This paper describes the creation, evolution, and future directions of the Suicide Response Training from an Islamic perspective to reduce suicide risk in Muslim communities.

Finding Center in the Heart (of the Pandemic): Practical Tools from the Islamic Tradition for Building Resilient Families in Times of Disruption and Trauma

When the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered how people lived their lives, many called it a “wake up call.” Within the global Muslim community, many shared the sentiment that the coinciding of the lockdown with Ramadan presented an opportunity for khalwa (spiritual retreat and reflection). Although Muslim religious leaders sought to frame the Islamic tradition’s wisdom in light of the pandemic, much of this remained theoretical and abstract. The pandemic’s extended impact revealed that Muslim families lack guidance on how to employ the resources found in the Qur’ān and Sunnah practically for their own well-being and resilience.
 This paper outlines how one Muslim mental health professional and his network of colleagues responded to this crisis by tending to the well-being needs and collective trauma of Muslim families in the U.S. using online webinar platforms to address increased anxiety, family conflict, depression, and existential grief. A detailed framework of an Islamic psychology used as a psycho-educational tool to orient families to indigenous Islamic tools for building resiliency and decreased anxiety is also presented.
 From this user-friendly theoretical framework, a daily routine of psychological, physical, and contemplative exercises is mapped out and was amended to comply with the particular resources and restrictions imposed by the pandemic. The tools offered, while grounded in the Islamic tradition, provide contemporary and pragmatic solutions that many Muslims have used to build resiliency and engage with the dīn (Islamic religion) in a transformational, rather than a simply transactional, way during these trying times.

PSIKOSPIRITUAL NABAWI DALAM KITAB TASAWUF MODEN KARYA BUYA HAMKA

Malaysians' mental health problems become more severe every year. The Psychosocial Support Service Helpline (MHPSS) has seen a fivefold increase since 2020 according to the latest statistics. An online survey using the depression, anxiety and stress form (DASS) showed that Muslim Malays recorded the highest number of people filling out the form, in fact the highest percentage of mental health problems involved Malays. Unstable emotions can arise due to problems, resulting in deep suffering. Negative moods, emotions, and feelings are the primary issue of mental health issues, which are psychiatric disorders, a syndrome, a clinical disease. Spiritual treatment should be provided alongside modern treatment in hospitals. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to describe the psychospiritual-psychotherapy concept of Islam and its connection with the Tasawuf Moden’s Book by Buya Hamka. The findings of the study found that the psychospiritual elements found in the Tasawuf Book of Buya Hamka are suitable for use as theoretical psychospiritual to fighting mental illness, especially among Muslims, is crucial to achieving true happiness. The 13 methods of spiritual education mentioned by Buya Hamka are: (1) Need to associate with gentlemen, (2) Always think, (3) Take care of lust and anger, (4) Work regularly, (5) See your own shortcomings, (6) Control anger, (7) Don't be impulsive, (8) Do not argue and belittle others, (9) Avoid excessive banter, (10) Asceticism, (11) Fairness, (12) Be willing to repent and (13) Do not break promises and hold grudges. Therefore, it is hoped that the findings of the study can help deal with Muslim mental health problems that require psychiatric therapy in order to create a prosperous society in line with the wishes of the Madani Malaysia government.

The Development of a Novel Suicide Postvention Healing Model for Muslim Communities in the United States of America.

Suicide among American Muslims is understudied, despite recent research highlighting increased suicide attempts amongthis population. While suicide is forbidden in Islam, formal guidelines for addressing and responding to suicide within Muslim communities did not exist until recently. The Stanford Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology Lab has responded to a number of suicides in Muslim communities across North America and implemented an original model for suicide response and community healing. This approach incorporates Islamic principles and values to create a culturally and religiously congruent response to suicide that can support loss survivors and steer impacted communities toward healing. The Muslim Postvention Community Healing session described in this paper aims to provide a safe space for individuals impacted by suicide to come together and process their emotions, while also using Islamic teachings to guide the healing process. This unique model has the potential to serve as a valuable resource for Muslim communities across North America, and beyond, in addressing and responding to suicide.

Mental health services for Muslim communities in England and Wales: developing a more collaborative model

ABSTRACT The landscape of mental health services for Muslim communities in England and Wales remains fragmented with many Muslims unsure how to access services that accommodate their religious beliefs and practices. This article reports findings from a pilot study of mental health services and Muslim communities in England and Wales. It explores the role of Muslim mental health organisations, charities, therapists, counsellors, faith leaders and community groups in supporting the communities they serve. The study’s aim was to establish a larger project to identify and amplify best practice across mainstream and non-mainstream mental health services in relation to improving provision for Muslim communities. Focus group data from key informants was analysed using grounded theory. Four analytical themes emerged from the analysis: “Knowledge gaps”, “Policy gaps”, “Working together” and “Moving forward”. Based on this, the authors argue for an asset-based approach to building collaborative partnerships between Muslim communities and mental health providers.

The Bay Area Muslim mental health community advisory board: evaluation of a community based participatory approach.

The aim of this paper is to present a novel case for the formation, operation and evaluation of a community advisory aboard comprised of Muslims residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, California that utilised a community based participatory approach to address local Muslim mental health needs. The CAB was recruited in partnership with the Muslim Community Association (MCA), one of the largest Islamic centres in the San Franscisco Bay Area. In addition to describing the development of the CAB, the authors present the findings of the evaluation and synthesis of best processes based on CAB members' feedback. To evaluate the perceived community advisory board members' perceptions of their roles and elicit feedback on how to enhance the relationship between the university team and the CAB, an evaluation was conducted by an independent team who was not part of the research process. Data was collected using anonymous individual surveys and small group open discussions that were conducted over three evaluation meetings. The evaluation utilised mixed method data collection strategies using questions from Schulz et al. (, Evaluation and Program Planning 26, 249-262), an instrument for evaluating dimensions of group dynamics within CBPR partnerships. Results of the evaluation within the sphere of CAB operation indicated that CAB members found the greatest satisfaction from their contributions through direct participation in the research activities that were conducted by the university-CAB team. The collective responses indicated that most CAB members were satisfied with trust built between the university-CAB team and the diversity represented in the members of the board. However, given that the Bay Area is home to a very diverse Muslim community, challenges in recruiting representatives that account for all possible self-identifying groups was reported by the CAB with recommendations to recruit religious leaders. Recommendations also included eliciting funds for potential financial compensation for CAB members. The Stanford-San Francisco Bay Area CAB demonstrated that empowering community members through direct participation, creating channels and safe spaces for feedback help create community rooted research that carry the true voices of marginalised communities and reflects their evolving needs.

Partnership Between Psychiatrists, Faith Leaders Untapped Key to Expanding Reach of MH Care

Partnership Between Psychiatrists, Faith Leaders Untapped Key to Expanding Reach of MH Care

Premarital Education: Primary Prevention for Domestic Violence

While the reality of domestic violence in the Muslim community has been challenging to acknowledge, the reality that it exists has been increasingly accepted. Over the past twenty years recognition has increased, and the numbers of Muslim mental health and human service professionals focused on addressing violence among Muslims has increased. This has led to education, and increased awareness of the need for comprehensive culturally sensitive services to prevent and intervene in this public health issue. Premarital education and marriage preparation are among the ways to prevent domestic violence.

Addressing Mental Health Through Community Partnerships in a Muslim Community.

The mental health of American Muslims remains significantly understudied and unaddressed, despite known obstacles to Muslims' utilization of mental health services, such as stigma and institutional mistrust. Since the inception of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology Lab in 2014, partnerships across the Bay Area were formed among key Muslim community establishments to address obstacles to good mental health. Through a community-centered approach, diverse stakeholders engaged to identify and address the community's most pressing mental health challenges. Successful outcomes of this approach include facilitated research and mental health initiatives to support the Bay Area Muslim community.

Politicizing Muslim Mental Health Toward a Decolonial Framework

There is a growing recognition that mental illness should be taken more seriously within Muslim communities. In this are emerging trends to Islamicise psychology or psychologise Islam, whereby the former attempts to adapt contemporary psychological practices for Muslims, while the latter endeavours to indigenise and establish a psychology rooted firmly in Islamic traditions. Yet a large body of interdisciplinary works has argued that Muslims are uniquely positioned vis-à-vis Nation-States across the Global North. There is thus a need to underscore the significance of the political which underpins the relationship between ‘Muslim’ and ‘mental health’. The political will be explored by addressing three paradigms and their particular relationship to Muslim mental health: neoliberalism, nationalism and securitisation. I argue that Muslim mental health, irrespective of approach or discipline, is unique in its ability to serve power and ensure Muslims remain productive, loyal and low-risk citizens of the Nation-State. Emerging Muslim mental health models may succeed in their stated objective—alleviate suffering or raise God consciousness—but they do not address the political dimension underlying mental health practice itself. I argue that a movement towards decolonising mental health must remain in constant dialectical resistance with dominant ideological paradigms and be rooted in an interdisciplinary praxis established upon the Islamic paradigm of trusteeship (waqf). This ensures suffering is neither commodified nor compartmentalised outside of the wider Western Muslim experience.

Recollections of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Complexities of Religious Coping and Muslim Religious and Psychological Adjustment in Afghanistan.

Religious coping is a double-edged sword. Clarification of the psychological benefits for positive religious coping requires statistical controls for negative religious coping and vice versa. This study sought to further explore the complexities of Muslim religious coping by extending the analysis to Afghans who coped with the sufferings associated with recollections of childhood and adolescent sexual abuse. Two hundred Dari Persian-speaking Afghan university students (122 identified having experience of childhood sexual abuse) self-reported on variables that measure religious orientation, religious coping, Muslim experiential religiousness, mental health, and child abuse. Results showed that negative religious coping interfered with the possibly beneficial effects of positive religious coping on mental health and child abuse. After controlling for negative religious coping, the associations of positive religious coping became obvious. In addition, Muslim spirituality moderated the associations of religious coping with mental health outcomes and child abuse: for people with higher Muslim spirituality, positive religious coping associated with better mental health, and negative religious coping associated with less child abuse. Implications for religious coping and combating trauma in a religious context are discussed.

Muslims and Mental Health Services: A Concept Map and a Theoretical Framework.

Muslim populations in Western countries are growing, and they face biopsychosocial, spiritual, and economic challenges. Although Islam gives utmost attention to mental health stability, Muslims tend to underutilize mental health services. Mental health professionals, whether they be researchers, practitioners, or trainers working in schools, colleges/universities, mental health agencies, and research institutions, are well positioned to serve Muslims. Mental health professionals can address Muslims’ biopsychosocial and spiritual issues and enhance their quality of life. In the current study, as the authors, we (a) reviewed 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts on Muslim mental health to understand how researchers have used concept maps or theoretical frameworks to design their empirical research, (b) prepared a comprehensive concept map based on the literature review to determine the central concepts affecting Muslims’ approach to the use of mental health services, and (c) proposed a contextual theoretical (conceptual) framework. We titled the framework as Muslims’ approach to use of mental health services based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TPB/TRA) in the context of a Social Ecological Model (SEM). We drew the framework based on TPB/TRA, SEM, and the review of Muslim mental health literature (the concept map). The concept map and the framework provide the most important constructs about challenges Muslim’s face when attempting to utilize mental health services. Future researchers can use the concept map and the framework to conduct theoretically and evidence-based grounded empirical research. We provided implications for researchers, practitioners, educators, and social advocates wishing to contribute to service provision to this population.

A Survey of Islamic Clergy & Community Leaders Regarding Muslim Mental Health First Responder Training

A Survey of Islamic Clergy & Community Leaders Regarding Muslim Mental Health First Responder Training

Directive vs. Non-directive Clinical Approaches: Liberation Psychology and Muslim Mental Health

Liberation psychology (LP) is a psychological framework that emphasizes social justice as a key component of mental health, defined in LP as the ability of human beings to co-exist, live in harmony, and thrive in community. Muslim mental health as a clinical focus continues to develop, and most writing emphasizes the importance of cultural sensitivity in providing effective care for Muslims, which the literature often relates to the collectivistic nature of Muslim majority societies. The literature, in turn, often uses collectivistic tendencies and research to support 1-on-1 directive approaches.
 This paper questions the use of such directive approaches as potentially re-creating a model of hierarchy and dominance that is connected to Muslims’ mental health challenges, particularly those of Muslim sub-populations. The authors suggest and discuss several LP-based alternatives, especially the use of group therapy as a more appropriate and culturally responsive model, from both di-rective and non-directive clinical orientations.

Conceptualising and addressing mental disorders amongst Muslim communities: Approaches from the Islamic Golden Age.

Although Islam is the world’s second-largest religion, there continues to be misconceptions and an overall lack of awareness regarding the religious and social worlds that make up the global Muslim community. This is particularly concerning when examining notions of mental ill-health, where a lack of cultural awareness, understanding, and sensitivity can impede adequate treatment. As a global religion, Islam is practiced within various cultural milieus, and, given the centrality of faith amongst Muslim communities, a conflation of religion and culture can occur when attempting to understand mental health paradigms. Whilst much of the discourse regarding Muslim mental health centres on cultural formulations, this article discusses how, historically, conceptualisations relating to medicine and mental health were ensconced within the particular medical paradigm of the day. Specifically, it considers the frameworks within which mental health and illness were understood within the medieval Muslim medical tradition and their relevance to contemporary debates in psychology and psychiatry. In sum, this paper seeks to demonstrate that cultural formulations of mental illness, often viewed as “Islamic”, are distinct from historical Islamic approaches to mental health which employed contemporaneous medical discourse and which act as the reference marker for the emergent revivalist Islamic psychology movement seen today.

Misdiagnosis Overview by Mental Health Professionals in Malaysia and Indonesia

The purpose of this paper to look at how and why misdiagnosis happen among the psychiatrists or psychologists in Malaysia and Indonesia today and what made them changed their earlier diagnosis. This study also aims to find out if these Muslim mental health providers have incorporated any spiritual or Islamic dimension(s) into their treatment or psychotherapy since Malaysia and Indonesia have quite a number of Muslim psychiatrists and psychologists. The result showed that both of the Malaysian psychiatrists that we interviewed mentioned bipolar disorder as the disorder that they can easily misdiagnose.

Religion and mental health: a narrative review with a focus on Muslims in English-speaking countries.

Numerous commentators have noted a historic ambivalence between religion and psychiatry. However, a growing body of evidence indicates an association between mental health and various religious activities, both private and public. As such, there are growing calls for greater religious sensitivity among mental health clinicians, to help unlock the potentially healing aspects of religiosity. So far, most literature from English-speaking countries has focused on Christianity and mental health, with little attention paid to Muslim mental health. This is the fastest growing religion in English-speaking countries, and the mental health of Muslims in these countries is under-researched. As such, the present paper summarises new directions in the mental health and religion literature, with a focus on the mental health of Muslims in English-speaking countries.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Ecological Systems Theory: Addressing Muslim Mental Health Issues and Wellbeing

Muslims across the word underutilize mental health services for addressing their wellbeing and biopsychosocial, spiritual, and contextual issues. By 2030, the global Muslim population is expected to reach 2.2 billion people. This indicates that Muslim mental health is gaining importance and would require contextually (i.e., spiritually, culturally, empirically) more effective services. Practitioners used Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to promote wellbeing and address psychopathology for diverse groups. However, rigorous and comprehensive literature from 1986 to 2019 did not produce research addressing how ACT could be consumed to serve Muslims. Researchers in Muslim mental health have suggested benefitting from EST yet only few have mentioned using ACT. ACT is one of the most effective therapies based on randomized control trials to enhance wellbeing and address psychopathology. The main purposes of this paper are to (a) explain how ACT is one of the most appropriate counseling approaches to be utilized with Muslims because ACT and Islam have many commonalities and (b) propose ACT with EST perspective to enable a much more contextual perspective of ACT so that mental health professionals could promote wellbeing and address psychopathology at all ecological levels for all, starting with Muslims. With the arrival of third and fourth wave of counseling approaches, the use of positive psychology in research and practice has increased dramatically. ACT, Islam, and EST also highly stress a positive approach perspective thus considering of ACT and EST together might promise more effective research and practice in positive and abnormal psychology.