Dealing With Severe Mental Disorders

Dear Sheikh, for over a couple of years now I deal with a severe depression. I feel worthless, stupid and useless. I also feel very lonely. Sometimes I think that being dead is better. How can I as a Muslimah learn to love and appreciate myself? I cry a lot and feel very unhappy. How can I get rid of my unstable behavior? Please help me. At the moment I have a counselor but a non-Muslim. I want to know how I can heal myself with the medicine of Allah. Jazaak Allah.

Assalamu`alaykum Wa Rahmat Allah Wa Barakatuhu OCD tends to be one of the difficult mental disorders to treat especially if obsessions are religious & sexual. The obsessions, the anxiety and the most difficult part the "feelings" which are indescribable and unbearable. It stays with the patient for days and sometimes even months are much difficult for the patient to cope with. It is a daily battle. When an OCD patient cannot be at easy at whatever he does to help himself to face this demon. What shall he do? If the patient helps himself by the statements like "Allah will surely help me" "just be patient" etc., etc., All these statements backfire with more obsessions sticking on the statements. How a person will be at ease under these circumstances. For other type of illness a patient can support himself by telling himself to be patient. But OCD does not allow that, you cannot be at peace with OCD. I know Allah does not give a soul more than it can bear. But if you ask an OCD patient what's going on, he cannot describe. If medicines do not much help and if consistent prayers do not change the situation. What should one do?? Your comments please to handle or manage OCD. Thanks and best regards.

Assalamualaikum. Thank you for your time reading my problem… I'm a single woman who is 28 years old, not married and don't have any boyfriend… about 3 years ago I was diagnosed by having mental problem… I'm suffering from schizophrenia… right now I'm working as a library assistant. From time to time I always think why I get schizophrenia. Now I know why I was diagnosed as one of schizophrenia patients. Right now I am working hard as I could to help myself to regain my life back. I'm a graduate in accounting but I'm not working as accountant due to my problem health. My problem is: can schizophrenia patient like to be married to someone and be a good mother. I don't want to be alone with all my life. Please help me…

As-salamu`alaykum, please what can I do to have self-confidence?

Would you please try to give me some steps I might try to deal with depression? I live in a small town far from any Muslim help (mosque, community centre, etc.) and do not have access to a Muslim counselor of any kind. I have suffered from depression off and on since as far as I can remember (I am 51). Trying to be busy doesn't help, neither does prayer or dhikr. When it hits me (depression) I am helpless to do anything about it. It makes many of my days like a hell. I would appreciate any help you could offer. Thank you and God bless you for your help and your time.

As-salamu`alaykum dear professor, I can't help noticing how psychological diseases have increased immensely in our time. I was wondering if there is a relationship between what is happening in the world and the increase of mental disease. Thanks for your time.

My brother is 17 years old with severe mental illness since he was 6 years old. He's now in the hospital with assistance from al workers but my mother wants him to live with us at home even it'll be very difficult to deal with him and take care of him. She thinks that leaving her son in the hospital means increasing dependence on als and doesn't allow him to communicate with others. And she is afraid if he left the hospital one day he'll face a lot of troubles according to this dependence. What do you suggest, doctor?

Salamu'Alaikum Professor: What are the causes of mental illnesses in general? Are they hereditary or acquired in life? Jazaka'Allau khairan.

I have a problem with my mother-in-law. She has an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She is obsessed with cleanliness, hygiene etc. although she does not realise she has a problem. She is constantly worried about germs & bacteria. I will give you some examples; 1. She will not touch an outside door handle, only with gloves or a tissue. 2. She insists that her cutlery, plates the table etc is washed properly whenever we go out to eat. 3. If you sit on public transport you have to get changed before sitting on her furniture. I'm not going to even start on how she prepares food. Anyway, when i first moved into her house, it didn't really bother me, but now I have a baby & as you can imagine you have to be extra clean around the baby. I'm not able to bath her when I want, just in case she catches a cold, I cant feed her certain foods, I cant take her out as often as I would like, just incase she catches an infection. The list goes on. I am actually worried that this will affect my daughters growth, development, behavior etc. It is really frustrating me now & although I know this is a mental disorder, I am finding it very difficult to deal with. She doesn't accept that she has a problem, instead thinks we are all dirty and careless. How can I make her realize that we are all 'normal' & she is the one with the problem & she is making all our lives difficult.

I always think life is more of a struggle and I feel bad about my self and life in most ways. At times, I feel complete despair. All my friends say that I'm probably depressed and I have to visit a psychiatrist, but only one of my friends told me that I have only to be more religious. What do you think?

I have a son who is acting really strange lately. We are a Muslim family and have been so for his whole life. We do all the expectations our religion calls for. Lately my son has started wearing an upside star on his neck and wishes to be called Satan. He wears black nail polish and has colored his hair black. He has put a huge lock on his door and plays loud music. The music has hateful lyrics and sounds awful. Last week we caught him in the house with three naked girls. We excused the girls and talked to him about the matter. He insisted the girls were itchy and he was merely trying to remedy the situation. We didn't buy that excuse and grounded him. Because we have grounded him, he says he will put something in our food to poison us. Last night I caught him in the kitchen opening different bottles. I asked him what he was doing and he merely grinned and said he was looking for a drink. My wife and I are scared now. I asked him about it and he said he summoned all the demons in the universe to live within him. It's crazy!

Thank you professor for this valuable session. My Question is rather how to prevent mental diseases and what measures can be taken by the muslim family to protect against them? I think that most mental diseases occur as a result of stress from environment eg: parents, peer pressure etc…

Assalamu alaikum, My brother-in-law has been having deep depression and hallucinations every since he was a teenager (he's now about 27). My in-laws keep treating him with "religious treatment" but it's not working! He needs al help, so what can I do to convince them to send him to a psychiatrist? There seems to be a cultural barrier (they live in the middle east and my husband and I live in America). I've already seen a person in my family commit suicide, and I don't want there to be another. What is the best way to approach the situation?

I am the kind of person that is totally stressed out and very insecure. Anything that I do makes me stressed and I find it difficult to take decisions. I don't know how to build an Islamic, calm environment at home. I want to put my soul in the kids. I am not sure about this and it makes me stressed. I am not that kind of a person that is very socially involved. I am a very boring person. No one seems to like being with bad and boring me. I try to meet people to learn how people talk to each other, but people are not interested in becoming friends with me, I am too stressed and they can, of course, feel it. No one seems to like being with bad and boring me. I feel I am a bad mother.

Salam Alaikum, I have a problem which really scares me. Sometimes when I am about to go to sleep or during sleeping something happens and all my body stops moving. I can't move my body, I cant talk and I cant do anything except to open my eyes and look around helplessly. I sometimes even shake my head a little bit so that someone would wake me up because it scares me to death. What is it?

Is there any islamic Schizophrenia Support Groups?

Assalamu 'alaikum Brother: There are many areas of the world where armed conflict is ongoing. Too many of these areas are impacting Muslim children and consequently many are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – what can we do for those children? What is the best treatment – besides the cessation of armed conflict? Jazakumallah khayran

I have been through a lot of mental & physical abuse over the last 4 years. Basically my husband has been having an affair & every time I Question him, we argue & he ends up beating me. I lost a baby at 28wks & I blame my husband for this. We lost our house too over the last year. I gave birth to another baby, who was critically ill & stayed in hospital for 5months before I could take him home. All this is making me very depressed & now I sometimes get these thoughts in my head, that maybe its all my fault & Allah is punishing me for something I must have done in the past. At times I just want to end my life. I am alone most of the time at home with my baby & I feel my depression is affecting the way I care for my baby. An on-line counselor says I maybe suffering from Post Natal Depression. Is this possible as my baby is now 1yr old.

Salam alaikum brother, May Allah keep, guide and bless you insha'Allah. I am revert to Islam of few months, alhamdulillah and I like to share that I suffered before very badly with depression, low self esteem and thoughts of suicide, since I become a Muslim, I still struggle but I find great grounding and strength in these matters, alhamdulilah for that. I understand Allah doesn't accept prayers of the insane as they are not accountable for their actions and so I trust Allah will deal justly with such. My enquiry is in relation to my mental health, not clinical, but a developed personality disorder as most have due to difficulty in staying true to our intended nature in this life. I see many missed opportunities in my life due to troubled childhood and how much I was incapable to achieve. I feel so frustrated and limited yet with gifts of many talents and good intellect. Every time I under achieve even though I am able to do well, but lack will, motivation, mainly as result of fear of more bad, and wondering what is the point? My father suffers with manic depression and paranoid schizophrenia, my mother depression. So far, I had 2 suicide in my immediate family and many attempts as well as self harm. Perhaps I am scared to push myself in case I cant cope. I don t know really what my Question is.. just, feeling very isolated, I tried many times to talk with other Muslims about my fears etc, but usually they don't understand…. I don't even know what they can tell me! I just wish I had a friend to share this with but I am now alone 24/7 because I find no one to relate to and I am building a "safe bubble" around myself. However, I also suffer from guilt sensations of what I can do to benefit others, yet I fail to do anything.. I really know this is not a counseling session but I know there is peace in Allah. However long our life is .. just keep true to Allah, till true peace will come, Insha'Allah..

Thank you doctor for your Answer.. my son is 13 years old. My wife told me to tell you. In the summer we left our kid with a neighbor for one day. Anyways, when we picked him up the following day we were surprised to find our son playing with an Ouija board. We never thought anything of it but now this may hold some key to why our son is very different today.

Assalam alaikum. My brother is showing some symptoms of schizophrenia such as paranoia, isolation, bizarre thoughts. He is not working or going to school. He lives alone in Europe. He refuse to go to the doctor. He refuse to complete his documents, so he can go to Muslim country where he can see a Muslim specialist. This situation was going on for more than 10 years. Al-Hamdulillah my brother prays, fasts and recites Qur'an. He cut all the contact with his family. He is so angry with my parent because of horrible childhood experience they put him through. My father abandoned my brother in a third world country where he did not know any one. Now he hates my parents. He do not listen to any one. What can we do about this situation? Thanks for your Answer.

Salaamu warahmatullahi wabarakatuh: I am Muslim living with a muslim wife form about eight years and now I am getting to dislike her very much. She is not a thinking person or a comfort to me except when I need sex real bad. I have a business and all she does is work. She has no ideas of her own. She would not say if my ideas are right or wrong. I would call her the slave with out a brain. She speaks a lot of bad things about me to her family. Her family is at war with her because she speaks bad things about me to them.

Salaam Alaikum; Sometimes when I am depressed my situation becomes horrible. I don't like anyone talking to me and the depression continues for days. I cant eat anything and what ever I eat I feel like I will vomit. No matter how hard I try to make my self happy I still end up in the same situation. What to do?