South African Muslim Psychologists' Perceptions of Mental Illness

Abstract

This study explored perceptions of mental illness in a sample of 10 female Muslim psychologists in a South African city to determine the influences of religion (and Islam specifically) on their understanding of the aetiology and treatment of mental illness. Participants responded to a semi-structured interview. The data from the interviews were thematically analyzed. Four themes emerged from the analysis: mental illness as maladaptive coping, religion as a resource for wellbeing, influences of personal religiosity on therapy and openness to collaborative treatment