Alleviating mental health problems through Islamic practices, counselling and cultivation of values

Pages: 1403-1405
Zohra Khatoon and Akbar Husain (Department of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh)

Every individual faces mental health problems during his life span. Mental health problems affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps to determine how we handle our stresses, relate to others, and make choices. There are four factors, namely, biological factors, life experiences, environmental aspects, and social influences which contribute to mental health problems. This article focuses on Islamic practices, counseling and cultivation of values as interventions for helping and alleviating mental health problems of people. For alleviating mental health problems, Islamic counselling is missing with regard to the need for soul food. It is adherence to ethics that will enable fulfillment of spiritual needs or a feeling of a deep sense of self-satisfaction in life. People with mental health problems are generally dissatisfied with their life, feel alienated, poor relationships with others and blame others on their failure. Self-satisfaction emanating out of internalizing Islamic values and observing Islamic practices is the main concern of being more integrated with religiosity, more at one with the world, more connectedness with God, and being more spiritually disciplined.