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The romanticization of mental illness on social media is encouraging people to form an identity based on their misdiagnosed illnesses.
If you think you have depression/anxiety, check your relationship with Allah first. Speak to an imam. Then see a health professional.
Identifying with your perceived mental illness is an easy way to make it seem like an insurmountable obstacle & paralyze you from moving on.
Speak to a person who has an understanding of both Islam and mental illnesses. Many imams today are trained to recognize the signs of MI.
Muslims complain about their perceived depression & anxiety all the time (as do non-Muslims), but rarely schedule time to sit with an imam.
Mental illnesses are real & there may be a need for medication & other treatment. But speak to an imam as the first line of defense.
We have Muslims who don't pray, don't read Quran, & live a life of sin, then say they have depression to remove the guilt of their actions.
They romanticize their feelings of depression & anxiety as a unique struggle that nobody can relate to. They make it a part of who they are.
This isn't the case for all people - many people have real depression & anxiety. But stop diagnosing yourselves & start seeking guidance.
On the romanticization of mental illness: When did having a mental illness become cool? inkspire.org/post/when-did-…
We need more Muslims who are trained in psychology as well as traditional Islamic sciences.
You could be close to God and have anxiety & depression, but a person who is far from God is more likely to have them.
An imam will not treat mental illnesses, but they should be able to recognize if your depression/anxiety is a spiritual or clinical issue.
I am not advocating to go to an imam instead of a doctor. I'm saying if you *think* you have depression/anxiety, just talk to an imam first.
You can't replace necessary medical treatment with Quran. But you also shouldn't pump yourself full of meds when you may just need ruqya.
Muslims believe that shaytan/jinns/evil eye/hasad/sihr can harm you. A doctor can misdiagnose these things as mental illnesses.
A person who doesn't pray & indulges in sins is more likely to be harmed by these & more likely to have feelings of depression & anxiety.
Human beings were created anxious, except those who do the following: 
"Your relationship w God has no effect on mental state."
So salah/Quran makes us feel good & protects us, but leaving them has no affect?
So salah/Quran makes us feel good & protects us, but leaving them has no affect?
When you leave salah & increase sins, you forsake God's protection & become vulnerable to things that will make you feel depressed/anxious.
I hope this clarifies things.
The continuation of this thread is here:
Evidence from medical publications:
This lecture by Br. Hooman, who works with @KhalilCenter, is a great watch: An Islamic Framework for Understanding & Addressing Muslim Mental Health
Dr. Rania Awaad, a Stanford psychiatrist who studied Islam traditionally & also works with @KhalilCenter, talks about the historical & Islamic scholarly roots of mental health:
The destigmatization of mental illness in the Muslim community is important, but it's also important to recognize that the Western model of psychiatry/psychology/psychotherapy doesn't consider the spiritual aspect of a person. Alhamdulillah, Islamic psychotherapy is growing.
We are souls inside of bodies. As Muslims, we must understand that they both coexist and can both impact each other. The Western model does not recognize the soul nor its effect on the body. People are free to follow that, but Muslims should know better.
