Muslim Faith and Healthcare Relationship Essay
Cultural backgrounds have a significant effect on person’s beliefs and attitudes toward health care. The Islamic religion is practiced by a large part of the world’s population, which is why it is critical to consider health beliefs and practices of this population. You have included a comprehensive analysis of the topic, and I also want to explore the beliefs that Muslim people have about illness.
Bulbulia and Laher (2013) explain that there are four aspects of self in the Quran: the soul, the connection between the soul and the body, the intellect, the desires, and the consciousness. In the Islamic faith, illness is caused by an imbalance between the physical, mental, or spiritual aspects. Although Islamic health professionals utilize international disease classification, they also recognize an additional type of illness, which is a spiritual disease (Bulbulia & Laher, 2013). Muslim Faith and Healthcare Relationship Essay
Thus, the concept of disease in Islamic faith depends both on the contemporary medical standards and on traditions, and thus traditional medicine is prevalent in Muslim communities. When treating people of Islamic faith, health professionals should discuss whether or not the patient have attempted any traditional remedies and try to incorporate traditional medicine in the treatment plan in accordance to the patient’s wishes.
It is also important to note that there is stigmatization of certain diseases in Islamic society. This is particularly evident in mental illness. Sewilam et al. (2015) explain that, in most Middle Eastern societies, mental disorders is viewed “as a punishment from God, the result of possession by evil spirits (Jinn), the effects of the “evil eye”, or the effects of evil in objects that are transferred into the individual” (p. 111). Stigmatization causes people to be reluctant to talk about their mental health or disclose symptoms that could indicate a mental illness. Therefore, in caring for Muslim people, health providers should pay particular attention to psychological symptoms and refer the patient for a consultation with a culturally competent psychologist, if necessary.Muslim Faith and Healthcare Relationship Essay
