NEWS: Muslim Mental Health Matters: a report on the current gaps in mental health support for British Muslim communities

As part of Steps to Recovery, Civil Society Consulting CIC (CSC) collaborated with Peterborough-based grassroots organisation The Lantern Initiative to produce the landmark report:  ‘Muslim Mental Health Matters. 

 The report collates findings from a national survey, co-designed by CSC and the Lantern Initiative, which garnered 962 responses from Muslim communities across the UK. A number of key findings have been been translated into a series of evidence-based recommendations for mental health providers working with Muslim communities. Aaliyah Shaikh (PhD researcher in Health Psychology at City, University of London) and Rahmanara Chowdhury (Lecturer in Islam and Pastoral Care at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education) advised on the analysis of the data and development of policy recommendations from their perspectives as mental health researchers and mental health practioners in Muslim communities.

The report findings are based on a national survey, co-designed by CSC and the Lantern Initiative, which garnered 962 responses from Muslims across the UK. The survey aimed to understand:

• Needs and views of Muslim community concerning mental health

• Barriers to accessing mental health support

• Gaps in mental health provision

Below is a brief summary of findings, organised by themes identified from the responses:

• Faith-based counselling: There were many barriers to participants accessing faith-based counselling services including imposition of negative connotations, lack of availability, concerns around professionalism, confidentiality, and service quality, and lack of inclusivity for further marginalised communities

  • When it worked, it was identified as a positive experience: 69% said they would recommend faith-based counselling

  • Enablers to accessing faith-based counselling were when providers had a better understanding of cultural religious sensitivities; viewed faith as an important aspect of life, healing, health and wellbeing; integrated spirituality and took a holistic approach when addressing mental health.

  • Faith-based counselling was sometimes seen as a bridge to accessing other forms of mainstream and clinical support

• Cultural attitudes to mental health: Ideas, social customs and behaviours that communities normalise and understand often define how they experience, interpret, and act upon mental health issues. Cultural factors can determine how much support someone gets from their family and community when it comes to mental health

  • Mental wellbeing was regarded as being just as important as physical wellbeing by 99% of respondents

  • Wanting a better awareness or understanding of mental health was expressed by 84% of respondents

  • Learning about mental health through more interactive methods was preferred

  • Online resources were the most preferred means of accessing mental health resources 

• Covid-19: Negative impacts of Covid-19 were deemed to have contributed to an increase in stress and anxiety, an increase in loneliness and isolation, and an increase in sadness, depression and grief. 

  • Positive impacts of Covid-19 were expressed as increased time for self-reflection, time to spend with family, and increased time to pursue personal interests. 

• Counselling trends and experiences: Just under half of respondents had accessed counselling services. 

  • The three most accessed counselling services were as follows: 

    • NHS (GP referrals / IAPT) accessed by 52% (60% deemed the service as being effective)

    • Private fee paying counselling accessed by 42% (80% deemed it as being effective)

• Barriers to accessing support: respondents feared being judged negatively by others if they accessed mental health support.

  • In relation to accessing mental health support, the following were expressed: lack of support from families (55%);  not knowing where to go for support (38%); and questioning the existence of mental health itself (6%).

• Mainstream counselling: the desire for faith informed counselling services was expressed by 84% of respondents. 

  • It was felt by 44% of respondents that current mainstream counselling provision did not cater to needs relating to faith issues. 

  • 53% of respondents felt that NHS waiting lists were too long. 

  • There were greater levels of trust expressed regarding the professional level of training undergone by those within mainstream counselling provision, than there were for faith-based provision.

  • The widespread availability of mainstream provision was seen as an enabler to accessing counselling services. 

• Mental health support from Mosques and Islamic Centres: within a faith institutional context, barriers to accessing services were specified as concerns surrounding confidentiality and being judged negatively; a lack of knowledge and awareness regarding mental health services; concerns in relation to whether such practitioners would be professionally trained to adequate levels and a lack of inclusivity and accessibility of such services. 

  • Enablers to accessing services within a faith institutional context were put forward as: sources of informal support as primary options; formal counselling following on from accessing informal support; presence of support groups within mosques; effective use of signposting; and pirituality classes providing added elements of softer sources of support.

Findings were developed into a series of evidence-based policy reccomendations, geared towards six support provider ‘types’. Recommendations included:

• The general community working and volunteering in Muslim mental health should focus on signposting to holistic approaches of support through a mixture of faith-based and clinical support - these should be appropriately informed and relevant

• Community organisations should integrate Islamic practices with with relevant psychological counselling skills; being mindful of engaging with and maintaining a decolonising perspective

• Mosques and Islamic centres should o work on making their spaces feel safe, non-judgmental and impartial

• Faith-based counselling services should aim to take a more holistic approach when addressing mental health, integrating spiritual and faith-sensitive approaches with appropriate and relevant evidence-based, clinical techniques

• Mainstream counselling services should focus on reaching those who do not have the practical means or know-how to access mental health education, by doing targeted outreach work in a culturally appropriate and faith sensitive manner.

• Clinical commissioning groups should commission research internally to expertise already held within communities.
  
  

This report is intended as an open resource for Muslim-focused mental health organisations, faith-based counselling organisations, mosques and Islamic centres, as well as clinical commissioning groups, and puts the Lantern Initiative on the map as a leader in grassroots mental health provision for Muslim communitues in the UK.