Role of islam in reducing mental health illness - Literature review Example

Role of Islam in reducing Mental Illnesses “It is useless to cry over spilt milk” a saying best describes what’d done has been done and there is nothing one can do to change that. Mental illnesses are a major problem of today’s society and a major cause of devastation of familial and social life. One cannot certainly imagine living life with a person who is mentally ill or being mentally ill. Majority of mental illnesses e.g. anxiety, depression and mania are caused by something that has happened in a person’s past.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is one such example in which a traumatic event happened in the past of a person continues to haunt their present and destroys their future. Islam has been a major contributor in relieving a person from such disorders. Mental illnesses have been treated and a patient with mental disorders cured of their disease with the help of Islamic teachings. According to some saying, even reading The Quran relieves stress and gives a person relief of mind and soul. Islam teaches a person to live and let go which means that past has gone and one shall not dwell in it rather they should focus more on their future.

Also, a major stress reliever according to the teachings of Islam is one’s belief in this world being temporary. According to Islam, if one truly believes that this world is temporary, they would not worry about what happens here but work hard to make the life after a better one. Also, the belief of a person that whatever happens here in this world has a reason and Allah has planned something even better for them would give them relief from such worldly worries and they would live a stress free life.

The prohibition of drugs and alcohol in Islam also helps a person avoid mental illnesses since drugs are a major cause of these diseases and avoiding drugs avoids these diseases.ReferencesAli, O. M., Milstein, G., & Marzuk, P. M. (January 01, 2005). The Imams role in meeting the counseling needs of Muslim communities in the United States. Psychiatric Services (washington, D.c.), 56, 2, 202-5.Koenig, H. G. (1998). Handbook of religion and mental health. San Diego: Academic Press.New York University. (2006). The Journal of Muslim mental health.

Philadelphia, PA: Taylor and Francis.Douki, S., Ben, Z. S., Nacef, F., & Halbreich, U. (September 01, 2007). Womens mental health in the Muslim world: Cultural, religious, and social issues. Journal of Affective Disorders, 102, 177-189.al-Krenawi, A., & Graham, J. R. (January 01, 2000). Culturally sensitive social work practice with Arab clients in mental health settings. Health & Social Work, 25, 1, 9-22.Hammoud, M. M., White, C. B., & Fetters, M. D. (October 01, 2005). Opening cultural doors: Providing culturally sensitive healthcare to Arab American and American Muslim patients.

 American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 193, 4, 1307-1311.Graham, J. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/whf/1996/vol17-no3/WHF_1996_17(3)_p246-248.pdfWHO IRIS: Islam and mental health. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/119027