World Wide Mental Illness Epidermic

Good mental health is one of the human rights and is a basic need. Yet, many have been deprived of this basic human right and basic need. Mental illness has reached epidemic level and increasing. New Straits Times reports:

“According to a projection by the World Health Organisation, mental health problems will rise to 15 per cent worldwide in 2020 from 10 per cent in 1990.” (“Mental care panel set up” By Lydia Gomez NST 11 Aug 2010)

Malaysians are suffering too.

"Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the National Health and Morbidity Survey showed that mental health problems among children and teenagers had jumped from 13 per cent in 1996 to 20.3 per cent in 2006 while similar problems among adults showed an increase from 10.6 per cent to 11.2 per cent in the same period. (“Mental care panel set up” By Lydia Gomez NST 11 Aug 2010)

Figures from the ministry of Health is very telling:

“According to Health Ministry statistics, 400,227 mental patients sought treatment in government hospitals last year, an increase of 15.6 per cent compared with 346,196 people in 2007.”
(Malaysian Health Ministry Statistics 2006-2007 from Focus more on mental health'
2009/11/23 BERNAMA)

If we take drug addiction-- the underlying cause is stress-- as an indicator of mental illness, mental illness as an epidermic was already detected in 1985 when drug addiction became an epidermic world-wide. At that time, WHO had declared that drug addiction is out of control.

Why then has mental illness reaches epidermic level and spreading out of control, despite all the wealth, advanced knowledge and sophisticated technologies ?

The answer is very clear. Allah says, that means:

'We said: "Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve.” ' ( Quran Al Baqarah 2:38)

Allah makes akal (mind) a human right. He teaches man how to acquire good mental health.

“Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest .” (Ar Ra'd 13: 28).

Should man go astray from Allah's guidance and suffer mental illness, He prescribes the cure:
“O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Qur'an, ordering all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that (disease of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences, etc.) in your breasts, - a guidance and a mercy (explaining lawful and unlawful things, etc.) for the believers.” (Yunus 10:57)

For those who insist on destroying their mind by drinking alcohol, they can be punished with 40 to 80 lashes. For those who consume drugs other than alcohol, they can be tried by tanzir laws which has death as the maximum penalty. For creating chaos and havoc in society, drug pushers, tried by tanzir laws, can be persecuted.

The fact that majority of man suffers mental illness, mainly anxiety and depression, is because man ignores Allah's guidance and strays away from Him. Man refuses to submit to Him. Hence man will continue to suffer mental illness with all the consequences, like drug addiction, AIDS, sexual diseases, crimes, violence etc.

Allah has given man a mind. Using his mind, man makes choices and bear the consequences of his choices.