Did you know that 80% of women who underwent FGM have anxiety or affective disorders? Did you know they also have a high rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), about 30%?
Transitioning to American culture for many immigrants and refugees is beyond challenging:
- Abusive or Dysfunctional Families
- Lack of Awareness about Drugs
- Lack of Mental Health Education
- Abusive Foster Parent
- Ignorance about the Issue within the Community.
- Silence and Stigma regarding Behavioral Health
Mental health issues can disrupt people's lives in many ways that impair their ability to function in major life areas, including work and relationships. It effects parent's ability to parent effectively.
Solutions:
Harambee works with adults struggling with mental health to examine all aspects of the individual - psychological, spiritual, social, and biological. We strive to fully understand each person's unique challenges and facilitate healing through a multi-disciplinarian approach. Our key partner,
UNIK FOUNDATION BEHAVIORAL HEALTH is involved in all levels of your care, from intake to discharge.
The Harambee Leadership Academy provides high-quality and innovative resources to address various mental health issues. We offer a path towards healing through a multi-disciplinary "partnership" approach, including combining evidence-based therapeutic interventions with medication management.
The Harambee Leadership Academy, along with a host of other key partners are working with several community members to establish local focus groups:
- Educate & Help Parents to Grow Strong Families
- Create Safe & Productive Social Circles for Women and Young Girls
- Counsel At-Risk Youth involved in Substance Abuse
- Raise Awareness within the Community.
Struggling with Mental Health does not mean you are crazy!
Although mental health is validated and prioritized in Islam, there is a stigma associated with it existing in the Muslim community.
Previous research has found that Muslims are less likely to access mental health services even when in need. It seems that myths and superstitions from various cultural communities have kept their place, and continue to make their mark by invalidating mental health and stigmatizing those with severe conditions within the Muslim community.
This is made worse by the barriers Muslims in the west face to access mental health services. Lack of culturally competent services in the healthcare system, lack of representation and lack of understanding of the various levels of pre- and post-migration trauma many Muslims have experienced, such as wars, famine, abuse and racism, may make some Muslims feel uncomfortable accessing the service. These experiences along with language barriers and discrimination in a health care setting can make even considering mental health services difficult. Muslims come from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and cultures that often intersect. The key to addressing these barriers is fostering understanding of an individual’s needs and respecting them. In order to truly help, it is integral that mental health professionals recognize the unique vulnerabilities in the Muslim community, undergo culturally sensitive training, and work with the Muslim community to address the mental health stigma.
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Depression is likely to foster negative behavior. Symptoms are often masked by destructive actions.
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Anxiety: Those who suffer from overwhelming symptoms often suffer in multiple areas of their life.
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Individuals suffering from PTSD and trauma are often at the highest risk of developing alcohol or substance abuse problems.
Despite the growing number of American Muslims in the United States, their frequent encounters with prejudice and their increased self-reports of emotional stress, little research has been carried out to understand attitudes toward mental health by Muslim Americans, specifically those born and raised in the United States. On the basis of current demographic trends, it is reasonable to suggest that American-born Muslims represent the future of Islam in the United States.
How you can help:
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Increase multicultural competence specific to treating young adult American-born Muslims for professional mental health treatment providers.
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Hire and train Muslim college chaplains.
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Educate the Muslim community and religious leaders on issues pertaining to mental health.
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Develop approaches to reduce mental health stigma in the American Muslim community through religious institutions.
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Increase funding for further research on the mental health needs of young adult American-born Muslims and American Muslims in general.
From the community standpoint, when it comes to addressing stigma, each of us is as powerful as a canon. We either promote it or reject it – our words making their way into the next generation. Knowing the Islamic legacy on mental health, owning our emotions and validating the struggles of others might be the little pebbles that can finally crack the glass ceiling.
STOP THE STIGMA!!
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