A new mental health information leaflet for Muslims has been
published today by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The leaflet, Feeling Stressed? – A Leaflet for
Muslims, outlines clearly and simply what mental illness
is and emphasises the importance of seeking medical help. The
leaflet answers common questions such as: “What is mental illness”,
“What if my problem is caused by Jinn possession or evil eye?” and
“What about faith healers and traditional remedies?”. It also
explains what a doctor can do to help someone with a mental health
problem and the types of treatments that are available.
The leaflet was written and developed by
psychiatrist Dr Kamran Ahmed, who said: "Research has shown that
Muslims in the UK rate themselves as more likely than other faith
groups to use religious coping behaviour, and are less likely to
seek social support or professional help for certain types of
mental illness. This suggests a need to address the barriers to
help-seeking in Muslims, which include cultural and traditional
beliefs about mental health problems, knowledge and familiarity
with formal services, perceived societal stigma, and the use of
informal resources."
Dr Ahmed continued: "I developed the
leaflet with the assistance of fellow psychiatrist Dr
Abrar Hussain and input from the Royal College of Psychiatrists,
the Muslim Council of Britain and the 4Minds Project, a
local voluntary organisation. The content was also informed by a
focus group of young Muslims and Islamic religious leaders. We
evaluated their knowledge and attitudes to mental illness and
help-seeking before and after reading the leaflet at a mosque in
North London, and found an improvement on a number of
outcomes. We now intend to disseminate the leaflet as widely
as possible in the hope that it will help Muslims to understand
mental illness and encourage them to seek professional help when
needed."
For further information, please
contact:
Liz Leicester
or Deborah Hart in the Communications
Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127
Note to editors:
Feeling stressed? A leaflet for Muslims can be downloaded from the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ website: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info. For print copies, contact: leaflets@rcpsych.ac.uk