Research Open Access Muslims and depression: the role of religious beliefs in therapy Shaista Meer * and Ghazala Mir Abstract Background: Policy and practice guidelines in the UK and elsewhere promote the use of culturally appropriate treatment for clients from minority groups. he literature demonstrates religious coping can be efective in reducing levels of depression and that people from Muslim backgrounds are likely to use religious coping techniques. Methods: his study explored t he possibility of adapting an existing therapy to meet the needs of Muslims with depression. Behavioural Activation (BA) was selected as an appropriate approach based on its focus on behaviour linked to values. To investigate which adaptations were needed, interviews were carried out with practitioners (n=26) and Muslim service users (n=4). Data was organised into themes adapted from a previous cultural adaptation of BA. hree advisory groups were consulted on t he content of the thematic framework. Results: he indings supported the incorporation of religious teachings within psychological therapies and highlighted the importance of therapists creating space to discuss religion with clients who wish to. herapists recognised religion could be a useful resource, however, oten felt ill equipped to engage with a religious framework within therapy. Conclusions: Practitioners, including those from Muslim backgrounds, require training and guidance regarding attention to religious beliefs within therapy. Practitioners need to be prepared to develop their knowledge of religious beliefs and cultural issues that may arise for clients from the communities with which they work. Keywords: Depression, islam, religion, therapy, psychology, adaptation psychological © 2014 Meer et al; licensee Herbert Publications Ltd. his is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0). his permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Introduction Muslims make up the second largest religious group in Britain [1]. A census of UK inpatients and out patients in National Health Service (NHS) and independent mental health services showed that 4% of the 31,786 people recorded identified themselves as Muslim [2]. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence [3] and the Department of Health [4,5] promote the use of culturally appropriate treatment for clients from minority ethnic and faith groups. Van Loon et al., [6] have argued that higher rates of depression in ethnic minority groups means there is a need for culturally adapted interventions; and having an intervention that focuses on values and beliefs specific to the cultural group makes treatment more effective. Fernando [7] has commented that mental health practitioners are not free from biases or making value judgements on the individuals they are treating; having a better understanding of the culture or values of patients may lead to better service provision with regards to working with cultural diversity. However, little evidence about how to adapt therapeutic interventions for minority religious groups is available from reviews of clinical trials and interventions [8]. Religion and wellbeing The concept of wellbeing has been linked to mental health in terms of ‘the absence of mental disorder and the presence of positive psychological resources’; [9] and the need for therapy to influence an individual’s wellbeing through an increase in postive emotions which in turn may improve their physical state (which may have been effected by their depressed emo- tional state) [10]. There is a significant body of literature indicating that religion may influence wellbeing through pathways that are behavioural, psychological, social and physiological; [11] and in the wider literature, there is evidence that interventions that include faith are effective in the treatment of depression. Religious coping in response to stress can be both positive and negative in style. ‘Positive religious coping’ has been associated with reduced levels of depression and the use of an internalised spiritual belief system, providing strategies that promote hope and resilience [12]. Religious beliefs and practices that encourage a proactive approach to dealing with problems, are more likely to help people overcome depression [12b]. Conversely, aspects of religion that are negative or unhelpful, for example perceiving illness as being abandoned or punished by God, are defined as ‘negative religious coping’, and have been found to increase depression and anxiety [12,13]. Ventis [14] found that those who follow an intrinsic form of religiosity tend to report being free from anxieties and guilt. * Correspondence: s.m.meer@leeds.ac.uk Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, United Kingdom. Journal of Integrative Psychology and herapeutics ISSN 2054-4723 CrossMark ← Click for updates