Perceptions of Mental Health Problems

The book examines how mental health problems are perceived in two primary Islamic texts: the Qur'an (the holy book for Muslims) and the Hadith (the sayi­ngs and traditions of Prophet Muhammad). These analysis are integrated with the perceptions of a cohort of Jordanian Muslims about their mental health problems and treatment. Two important theoretical frameworks un­der­pin this research, namely the post-colonial theorizing of scholars such as Ed­ward Said, Franz Fanon, and Homi Bhabha, and the Explanatory Model of Arthur Kleinman. Qur'an and the Hadith emphasise that the conception of Allah's will is central in the Muslim's relationship with God, and in their interpretation of the cau­sal­ity of mental health problems, and the journey to seeking help. The book identifies that religion and religious belief are absolutely central to the way that this cohort of Muslim participants interpret the cause and de­ve­lop­ment of their mental health problems and, further, it posits that this is due in part to the explanations of causation and coping contained in primary Mus­lim texts. This book is an important source for; health professionals, psy­chia­trists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, community workers, socio­logists, anthropologists and teachers who are working with individuals from Muslim backgrounds in different health and community settings. It provides an insight of the perceptions of causes and the help- seeking process in re­la­tion to mental health problems in Islam, and of Muslims.