What ISLAM has to say about MENTAL ILLNESSES?

I am new here.

Is it SCHIZOPHRENIA or BIPOLAR or ???
Yea... I know an uncle who is mentally sick due to drugs dependent but he is now cured not by a medical doctor but an alternative healing methods  known as Chinese acupuncture! you may not believe me. :)   serious note - he was cured by a Red Indian Shaman.....yeaa

I can be mean too. hope I don't follow my uncle Tuewy bad habit he he..
choww

Causes of Mental Illness:

Although the exact cause of most mental illnesses is not known, it is becoming clear through research that many of these conditions are caused by a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors.

Biological Factors Involved in Mental Illness:

Some mental illnesses have been linked to an abnormal balance of special chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters help nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other. If these chemicals are out of balance or are not working properly, messages may not make it through the brain correctly, leading to symptoms of mental illness.

In addition, defects in or injury to certain areas of the brain have also been linked to some mental conditions.

Other biological factors that may be involved in the development of mental illness include:

• Genetics (heredity):
  
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• Many mental illnesses run in families, suggesting that people who have a family member with a mental illness are more susceptible (have a greater likelihood of being affected) to developing a mental illness.
• Susceptibility is passed on in families through genes. Experts believe many mental illnesses are linked to abnormalities in many genes -- not just one. That is why a person inherits a susceptibility to a mental illness and doesn't necessarily develop the illness.
• Mental illness itself occurs from the interaction of multiple genes and other factors --such as stress, abuse or a traumatic event -- which can influence, or trigger, an illness in a person who has an inherited susceptibility to it.

• Infections:

• Certain infections have been linked to brain damage and the development of mental illness or the worsening of its symptoms.
• For example, a condition known as pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder (PANDA) associated with the streptococcus bacteria has been linked to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental illnesses in children.
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• Brain defects or injury:
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• Defects in or injury to certain areas of the brain have also been linked to some mental illnesses.
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• Prenatal damage:
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• Some evidence suggests that a disruption of early fetal brain development or trauma that occurs at the time of birth -- for example, loss of oxygen to the brain -- may be a factor in the development of certain conditions, such as autism.
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• Other factors:
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• Poor nutrition and exposure to toxins, such as lead, may play a role in the development of mental illnesses.

Psychological Factors that Contribute to Mental Illness:

Psychological factors that may contribute mental illness include:

• Severe psychological trauma suffered as a child, such as emotional, physical or sexual abuse
• An important early loss, such as the loss of a parent
• Neglect
• Poor ability to relate to others

Environmental Factors That Contribute to Mental Illness:

Certain stressors can trigger an illness in a person who is susceptible to mental illness. These stressors include:

• Death or divorce
• A dysfunctional family life
• Living in poverty
• Feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety, anger or loneliness
• Changing jobs or schools
• Social or cultural expectations (For example, a society that associates beauty with thinness can be a factor in the development of eating disorders.)
• Substance abuse by the person or the person's parents

Edited by abosait - 12 December 2008 at 7:52am

astroman wrote: Islam has an answer to all human problems and including all the diseases and illnesses that we human suffered. Is it true?........... YET!

There are several authentic hadiths, according to which people were said to come to the Prophet for spiritual remedies for their illnesses and that of their kith and kin.

The Prophet, of course, prayed for them, but only after suggesting remedies in the form of medicines.

Often he would advise the patients to consult the best physician in the area.

On one occasion a lady came to the Prophet with her child who was bleeding because of a throat infection. He admonished her and advised her to treat the disease by using the extract of costus and pseudo-saffron.

Similarly, once his wife complained of an abscess on her finger. The Prophet suggested an application of sweet flag on the fingers and then asked her to pray to Allah for recovery.

There was also an occasion when a scorpion bit the Prophet himself. He immediately asked for hot water to which salt was added. The hot solution was poured on his bitten fingers while he recited Qur�anic verses.

These occasions and Prophetic hadiths led Muslims to believe in the rationale of using medicine rather than resorting to charms and incantations.

On several occasions he exhorted them not to depend on supernatural methods of healing.

He is also reported to have said, �charm is nothing but a work of Satan.�

Unkle aboosad

I heard my grandunkle said nabie muhamad once hurt by ghosts and god teach him how to cure himself against ghost bad works. I learn something from my indian docto too that many human problem related to ghost or satann that also make nabie adam trown out of the heven. That why I notice aboosad statement did not mention about satan bad work too to make human sick. Aboodas is not knoledgable just like me. I learn about bad  ghost when i am in mental hospital the Indian dokto tell me. I thing you also like me, aboosad dont understand or you go back an learn like me/ I am confu by you chhooowe