*** The Session has begun. Please submit your questions. ***
Answer
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Name
Saladin
- United States
Profession
Question
Salaam Alaikum,
Do Muslims, in general, suffer from depression in the same proportion as, say, other religious, or even ethnic, groups?
Answer
Good question. I am afraid I do not have an exact number for you, as I am not aware of any published statistics on that. However, based on my clinical experience and some cross-cultural data, I would say depending on the type of depression; the incidence would be the same. I think your question is worth exploring in a well-designed study to compare the three groups.
Name
Hassan
- United States
Profession
Question
How does the effect of Occupation upon the Palestinians affect their mental situation?
Answer
We could approach this question from either a collective perspective or an individualistic one. If we look at it collectively, I think that the whole population has been affected one way or another. In terms of individuals, it depends on the individual as research shows from what we know in the field of trauma. Individual's background, and other factors play a role in determining the specific effects that trauma impacts on them. But there is no question that the occupation and other traumas inflicted upon the Palestinians have played a role in forming their outlook on life. We will know more once we know how it will all end up just as we knew more about how the Vietnam war affected American soldiers many years after it was over.
Name
Osman Siddiqui
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I notice that in our community it is embarrassing to say you need to seek mental help and friends do not give advice about going for help. Can we stop this?
Answer
I think it will take a lot of concerted effort on the part of those in the frontlines such as the Imams, to encourage the community members to seek help from professionals. The community has to also be educated as to when help is needed and how help from a professional differs from asking help from a friend or from a relative.
Name
Aisha
- Netherlands
Profession
Question
Salaams,
Can psychologists who are not Muslim help Muslims who have problems? Can they know pressures in Islamic community?
Answer
Very good question. It depends on the psychologist. In the USA, all psychologists are trained to be sensitized to different cultural groups, which also include sensitization to different religious groups. One is better off to see a well-trained psychologist of any religious background than seeing a counselor who is a Muslim who does not have good training.
Most ideally, a Muslim is better off with a well-trained Muslim psychologist and if this is not available then a well-trained psychologist is your next best choice.
Name
ahmed
- United States
Profession
Question
If I think I need help, how can I find someone to help me? I don't trust telling my problems to strangers.
Answer
The best way to find someone to help you is to call your local American Psychological Association and ask for a cross culturally trained psychologist. This is if you need counseling. But for more serious problems such as severe depression etc., then you will call the American Psychiatric Association. For the counseling, you could also call your local association for social workers or for counselors.
Name
waleed
-
Profession
Question
There are lots of social pressures in this age, whether from parents and family members in what they see is appropriate, or whether it is from the society. Even friends might see your actions as strange and foreign. How do I get away from these norms and what others see is appropriate and be less worried about what they say. For example, if I am not happy with studying Engineering or even going to school, how do I solve this dilemma? I do it only for my father and for the family, but I am totally convinced that this is not for me. How can I get rid of the social pressures that are around us everywhere?
Answer
I am at a disadvantage in answering this question, as I do not know your age nor your financial situation and other demographics that would impact on my answer. What you are talking about are some of the most common pressures that our youngsters face as we are a collective society that expects individuals to forego their own goals for those that satisfy the "jama’a". So what is left for you to do is to find a way to do what you wish for yourself without disappointing those around you. It is possible to combine the two, but it requires some finessing on your part. Good luck.
Name
Houria
-
Profession
Question
Assalamu Alaikum
Living in the States puts us under lots of stress. Do you have any advice on how to cope with every day's stresses resulting from work, family, and school?
Thank you very much
Answer
Wa Alaikum AsSalam
I advise that you prioritize, pace, and organize yourself so you remain within doable parameters. Always make sure that you have time to exercise and do other self-enhancing activities. I also think that we adjust our lives in this country so we do not allow others from our community to abuse our time which I think eats up precious time that belongs to you and your immediate family.
Name
Aslam
- United States
Profession
ITengeneer
Question
Most of the time I would like to be alone, I spend 12 hours in my job and 2 hours driving. I feel that I am a slave. Do you agree that my situation reflects a "workaholic" syndrome that Americans have?
Answer
Are you a workaholic or do you have to do what you are doing because you have to survive in a country, which is driven by work, and bills you have to pay? So I do not know your exact circumstances to answer your question. However, if you have a choice, do try to find a job that is closer to where you live to so that you at least spend less time commuting. Or if you have to spend all that time commuting, do play music or tapes that have meaning. Or you may move to a place closer to where you work.
Name
Suleman
-
Profession
Question
What do you see as the main pressures on Muslims: in the West? And in home countries?
Answer
In the West, Muslims face discrimination in all walks of life. In addition to that, they are faced with the constant task of proving whom they are and what they are doing in a world that is predominantly Christian and Jewish. In addition to that, Muslims in the West are regarded as "terrorist" thanks to misrepresentation by the media.
In home countries, I would think that the struggle would be between those who prefer to see the country become more Westernized vs. those who want to coin a new independent non-Western identity.
Name
Ali
- United States
Profession
Student
Question
Do you think that Anxiety and violence are related to each other?
Answer
Might be, but it is usually depression that is related to violence especially in men.
Name
sara
-
Profession
Question
Are there many people in correctional facilities that should not belong there? They have psych problems? Should they be there anyway?
Answer
Yes, as you may know we have become less sensitive to psychiatric problems and, therefore, less people have been evaluated for such things as competency to stand trial and insanity defenses plus people with mental illness are being kept for less periods of time in mental hospitals and are in fact less likely to be hospitalized because of the rights of the mentally ill.
Name
Curious
- United States
Profession
Question
What does a forensic psychologist do? Investigate the problems of dead people?
Answer
No. Forensic psychologist do such law related functions as evaluating for competency to stand trial, insanity defense, risk assessment, damages in civil case, and custody evaluations. So, in other wards, they have expertise beyond their clinical psychology in matters related to the law, court, and crime.
Name
in two worlds
- United States
Profession
Question
Salaam Alaykum
How can Muslim teenagers living in the west deal with pressures from outside, like hanging with non-Muslim friends and wanting to do the things they can do?
Answer
You are talking about a conflict between what you are supposed to do as a Muslim teenager vs. what you are tempted to do when hanging out with non-Muslim peers. That is something that you are going to be struggling with especially when you are still a teenager and very vulnerable to pressure from others. My advice would be not to hang out except with other Muslim teenagers who share your own value system.
Name
Aicha
- United States
Profession
AA
Question
Life is becoming complicated; therefore, we live in continuous stress. Is there any relation between Anxiety and the issue of instability in married people's life?
Answer
The mere fact that we live in a complicated world does not in itself have to create stress. The stress we have is usually created within our own selves. Any type of feeling such as anxiety or depression, which often go hand in hand, can destabilize the relationship between two persons especially when they live in such proximity as they do in a marriage.
Name
Haroon
- United States
Profession
political activist
Question
AsSalam Alaikum,
Do you think that we, as Muslims, are collectively suffering from a "victim" mentality? Being defensive, overly conservative, protectionist, and a bit over-reactive at times?
Thank you.
Answer
I think it is a balance between having the awareness to know how others perceive us and using that information to help us grow and change. It is also important not to fall into a mindset of victimization, which could be used to immobilize us emotionally. In other words, knowing that there is a certain attitude towards us, it should set the tone for us to be more diligent and turn it into a motivating factor for change in the right direction and for aspiring for excellence. I feel that we cannot afford to be mediocre.
