How mislabelling mental illnesses as religious and spiritual concepts is harmful.
Jinn are believed to be ghoulish invisible creatures made of fire, with the ability to possess humans. People who have bipolar disorder, dissociative identity disorder or any mental illness/disorder that causes seizures, episodes or hallucinations are often immediately assumed to be possessed.
Instead of getting the professional help they need, they are taken to spiritual guides. They have exorcisms performed on them which can often worsen their mental state or be violent and torturous. There are records of people dying in exorcisms as well.
Nazar, or the evil eye, which exists in certain other cultures and religions as well, is the concept that attracting jealousy can cause you physical, mental or circumstantial harm. Many people attribute changes in behavior that could be symptoms of depression and anxiety as nazar and black magic, i.e., from people who were jealous of their happiness. Again, instead of professional help, they are made to visit religious and spiritual leaders who give them things like amulets. This is counterproductive and deprives people of the professional help that they need.
“To get a better idea of how commonly Muslim psychiatric patients consider jinn in the course of their diseases, researchers looked into the scientific literature. They found 105 articles about jinn and their relationship with mental disorders, including 47 case reports. About 66% of those reports included a medical diagnosis. Nearly half of the cases involved a person with schizophrenia or a related disorder, while the rest of the patients had mood disorders, epilepsy or obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
It all shows how deeply the stigma against mental health runs in our societies. People would rather accept that someone they love is possessed or a victim of nazar, rather than “crazy”. This mentality also hinges on the harmful misconception that seeking psychiatric help is shameful for Muslims, or that it’s an indicator of weak iman (faith).
Many Islamic scholars advocate for therapy for those in need, and Islam has made many contributions to psychology. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encouraged cognitive reframing when it came to dealing with negative emotions. He also addressed the importance of self-care, “Verily, your own self has rights over you”. Early Islamic scholars were among the first people to practically apply psychological theories. They compared mental illnesses to physical ones in order to highlight their severity, understanding that the mind and body shared a tangible link
Unfortunately, we have strayed away from this holistic and educated approach. Mental health has become highly stigmatized, reduced to demonic possession or spiritual ailments.
The Ruqya (exorcism) industry can be found in many MENA and South Asian countries, as well as Muslim communities in the west. It’s frequently found guilty of fraudulence, often along with spiritual and physical abuse. It exploits people with mental illnesses for monetary gain and social status.
This needs to be stopped.
So what can we do?
Raise awareness about mental disorders and illnesses. Especially about their actual causes. Challenge the notion that they’re caused solely by spiritual factors rather than chemical imbalances in the brain or environmental conditions.
Share the knowledge about Islam’s contribution to psychology. This debunks the myth that seeking or benefitting from therapy is a signifier of weak faith.
Warn people against the exploitation by the Ruqya industry, and how to distinguish fraudulent religious leaders from legitimate ones.
Promote religious scholars who acknowledge mental illnesses and recommend professional help. Encourage relatives and family to watch them. They're more likely to accept information about taboo topics if it's coming from a source considered credible.
Destigmatize therapy and mental illnesses.
There does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel, as mental health is shifted from a taboo topic to the mainstream.
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