Cultural Responsiveness in Mental Health Treatment

“Seek the life to come by means of what God granted you, but do not neglect your rightful share in this world. Do good to others as God has done good to you. Do not seek to spread corruption in the land, for God does not love those who do this” (Quran, 28:77)

Due to the recent influx of Syrian refugees that practice Islam, it is imperative that American practitioners are exposed to Islamic values and teachings. Unfortunately, because mental health professionals in Western countries are not commonly exposed to Muslim culture, those who practice Islam are hesitant to seek help due to “the differences in their beliefs and lack of understanding of the helping professionals about Islamic values in the treatment modalities” (Sabry W., Vohra 2013). Given that psychiatric treatment relies heavily on the bio-psychosocial model, understanding the role of Islam can increase the effectiveness in treating different mental illnesses.

Being religious can positively contribute to a patient’s adherence to treatment and satisfaction level (Sabry W., Vohra 2013). The religion of Islam has a long history with modern medicine. In fact, the first psychiatric ward was established by a Muslim physician in Baghdad. Mental disorders are understood as being physiologically based and medical conditions that need to be treated with psychiatric medication and therapy. So, what do clinicians need to know to properly treat this population?

First come the obvious cultural concerns. Doctors should understand how one’s dedication to Islam could conflict with taking psychiatric medications during Ramadan and one’s which ingredients are derived from pork. Merely adjusting medication schedules and having a list of psychotropic medications that are appropriate for Muslims to take. Muslim communities do have Islamic counseling. This is often a session with the community’s religious leader, the Imam. Muslims often seek assistance from the Imam for their psychological problems since the advice Imams give are in accordance to Quranic Principles and Prophet Muhammad’s teachings. Another model of counseling is Sufism. Sufism allows a person to express his/her concerns with a Sufi master, and then the Sufi master “deals with these concerns by directing the individual to the goal of detachment from the world and to the presence of God” (Sabry W., Vohra 2013).

Molding psychological treatment to fit one’s cultural needs directly impacts the success of the treatment plan. Researchers have found that “Muslims that used spiritually modified cognitive therapy for anxiety and depression showed faster results as compared with the therapy that is not Islamically modified” (Sabry W., Vohra 2013). Initiating change in mental health treatments to suit Muslim clients is vital to the well-being of Syrian refugees that are diagnosed with mental illnesses post-displacement.