Muslim faith leaders: De facto mental health providers and key allies in dismantling barriers preventing british muslims from accessing mental health care

Abstract

British Muslims habitually respond to the onset of mental ill-health by turning to their faith leaders. How Muslim faith leaders manage these encounters remains largely unexplored. In this study, 41 Muslim religious leaders in the UK completed vignette-based surveys depicting an individual meeting DSM-IV criteria for depression or schizophrenia. Participants were questioned regarding beliefs about etiology and treatment, counseling training and activity, and referral behavior; stigma levels were also measured. Muslim faith leaders were found to exhibit low stigma, provide substantial informal counseling, and routinely refer individuals to mainstream mental health services. They simultaneously embraced environmental, biological, and religious causes for mental illness. Muslim faith leaders emerge as potential allies in efforts to improve mental health outcomes for British Muslims, by challenging community stigma and collaborating with mental health professionals to deliver holistic care.