Depression is one of the
most common yet a serious mental health condition that individuals have
struggled with from the past to the present. It affects the functionality of a
human being regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or even religion. The aim of
this article is to discuss depression in general and its Islamic perspective in
specific as research has shown that an Islamically oriented approach and
intervention works better with the Muslim population in general. The paper also
aims to have a broader view of how Islam classified depression classically and
its modern implications upon psychotherapy which also lets us explore the
differences, similarities and gaps between the Islamic and Western perspectives
of depression at large. A collection of both classic and modern sources was
used to extract information and provide a scope of definitions and clarify what
depression means from an Islamic perspective. It was found that application and
integration of Islamically oriented psychotherapy showed a faster recovery in
the Muslim clients. Yet, further studies and research needs to be conducted in
order to compare the effectiveness among the religious and non-religious
Muslims and to fill the gap as to why the Muslim population tends to be
hesitant in seeking help regarding their psychological problems.
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