“Say: Travel through the Earth and deeply observe how God did originate the creation; then God produces the next creation; surely God has power over all things” (Qur’an 29:19-20)
Welcome and May the peace and blessings of God be upon you.
Source: AgingCare
"Faith has allowed me the ability to see myself as a tool for healing, but not the source. It is humbling, grounding and real."
Dr. MariAm ABOUKAR
Have you ever had a bad day? a bad month? a bad year? As humans we feel millions of emotions on a daily basis as we travel through life, learning how to manage our experiences and learn from them. Some of us express those emotions in a typical way, some of us don't. It's easy to identify someone who exists at the fringes of human behavior, but what about those who fly under the radar and suffer silently from mental health diseases that you can't see? In this perpetual age of stigma around mental health, somehow we've managed to separate mind from body and stigmatize human emotion. Dr. Mariam Aboukar is dedicated to removing the stigma around mental health and reconnecting humans and humanity.
Source: ChloeMichaels
Two of the most common mental health issues are depression and anxiety. The stereotypical psychiatric patient seen in movies is not the face of mental illness. It can be your neighbor, your friend, your colleague, your family. More than 17 million adults in the U.S. have had a depressive episode in the past year (1). It can be hard to recognize sometimes because it can present non-specifically: change in sleep, loss of energy, change in appetite, physical aches and pains, and sometimes extreme symptoms like hopelessness and suicide (1). About 40 million adults in the U.S. have an anxiety disorder and about 7% of children ages 3-17 experience anxiety issues each year (2). People can present with anxious feelings, but also physical complaints, like headache, sweating, upset stomach, pounding or racing heart. Both of these conditions are serious and are actual medical conditions. Treatment can look like therapy, where you meet with a psychologist or a psychiatrist, or it can also look like taking medications.
"Indeed, after hardship there is ease." (Qur'an 94:6)
As a psychiatry resident, Dr. Aboukar consults on patients in the hospital and sees patients in clinic who have mental health conditions. Her training is designed to identify specific mental health diagnoses and to decide on best treatment plan options for patients. Dr. Aboukar describes her job as simply having a conversation with patients. As simple as that might sound, it has profound implications on the individual patient who is suffering from a real medical condition. Sometimes the patient hasn't had an opportunity to process the trauma they suffered, or they are under a significant amount of stress that they can't even think clearly. Being able to be a source of stability and guidance, Dr. Aboukar notes being able to guide patients through these difficult times and allow them the space and safety to reflect on their own thoughts and life, and reach solutions that will work specifically for the patient, allowing them to achieve more quality of life and an overall sense of happiness. If that sounds like an alien concept, look no further than the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Sometimes patients have severe forms of mental illness and actually need medications to control their symptoms. "I do not want those who suffer from a mental illness requiring psychotropics to feel guilt or shame, just as a insulin-dependent diabetic should not feel guilty about taking insulin daily. We would never blame the pancreas for not releasing or utilizing enough insulin, so why do we blame our minds for our thoughts and biochemistry when it comes to mental illness?" (Dr. Aboukar).
On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear" (Qur’an 2:286)
Through her work, Dr. Aboukar is reminded daily how her work connects with her Islamic faith. By helping patients improve their own perspectives and find happiness, she is reminded of the hadith, "Whoever helps his brother or sister in his time of need, Allah will be there in his time of need" (Sahih Muslim). "Diseases of the brain are as much biochemical as they are psychological. I would like Muslims to seek proper health care for their depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. and to not suffer alone. I want Muslims to know that they cannot simply pray some mental disease(s) away."
During medieval Islam hospitals (bimaristans) were being developed and were serving everyone regardless of race, gender, citizenship (3). There were separate wards developed for patients with specific mental illness (4), similar to our current practice today for patients with severe mental illness. Mental health was identified as an actual diagnosis by Ibn Sina, in his Canon of Medicine, where he discussed depression and mania. Mental health was not ignored or stigmatized, but rather was a recognized specialized of medicine.
As prevalent as mental health conditions are and as we are all still human, mental health is a topic we cannot escape. It's easy to judge someone's reaction to a particular situation, but I wonder that if we were in that same situation, would we act any differently?
“Humanity is the source of spirituality. If you miss being humane, you miss the point of being spiritual.”
-Dr. Mariam Aboukar
“Read in the name of your Lord, who created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by then pen.” (Qur’an 96:1-4).
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." Dr. Elisabeth Kugler-Ross (5)
Notes:
1. NAMI Depression: https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression
2. NAMI Anxiety: https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders
3. Nagamia, H. "Islamic Medicine History and Current Practice." Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine. 2003; 2 (4): 19–30.
4. Miller, A. "Jundi-Shapur, bimaristans, and the rise of academic medical centres". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2006;99 (12). pp. 615–617.
5. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross: https://www.biography.com/scientist/elisabeth-kubler-ross
For more information:
American Psychiatric Association: www.psychiatry.org
Khalil Center - Muslim Centered Mental Health Care: https://khalilcenter.com
American Psychiatric Association: www.psychiatry.org
Khalil Center - Muslim Centered Mental Health Care: https://khalilcenter.com
For Health Professionals:
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) Fifth Edition by the American Psychiatric Association
- Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications by Stephen M. Stahl MD
- Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of General Hospital Psychiatry 7th Edition by Theodore A. Stern, et. al.
International Institute of Islamic Medicine: http://www.iiim.org/
1001 Inventions: the Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization: http://www.1001inventions.com