There were many instances where the family should have known about their eldest son’s mental illness. A 32-year-old man, jobless, does not talk nor interact with people, does not care about personal hygiene, severely reclusive and prone to destructive outbreaks. He was not like that before. He was a regular functioning young man. Fresh completing his National Service and has just gotten his first job, simply starting at life.

As most parents are, they mean well. Naively so. They thought their son would snap out of it sooner or later. Optimistic that it was just a painful transitional phase from an immature youth to a full-fledged adult. Everyone has their ups and downs, that is part of life.

Three long and painful years passed and the son’s condition did not improve. There were moments where he would pick senseless fights with the family. Some days it would be an outburst because a sibling had entered his room. Even the smallest and pettiest things would result in a fight.

Despite these concerns, the parents were still foolishly hopeful. There was no way their son could have a mental illness. It only happened to someone else. Other people’s families, never their own.

One day, an unfortunate outburst happened and the son physically injured his mother that the family finally gave in and sought professional help.

Cases like these are not uncommon. Especially among the Malay- Muslim community. Most victims are hidden in obscurity, behind the closed doors of our very conservative and traditional society. Not talked about nor discussed. Foolishly, our community have wrapped around our heads that ‘jaga nama keluarga’ -protecting the family’s good name – ‘jaga aib’ – to protect one’s honour will solve the problem.

The Singapore Association of Mental Health defines mental illness as a disturbance of the mind that impairs the way we think, feel and behave. It affects our daily activities, as well as impact the lives of family members and friends.

In a 2018 media release by the Institute Of Mental Health, 1 in 7 people in Singapore has experienced a mental disorder in their lifetime.

The study also pointed out that the majority of the mental illnesses occurred by the age of 29 years and that the majority of the people with mental illness were not seeking help.

This is concerning because not only those with mental illness are suffering and not getting any help. But the people surrounding them are also enduring hardships and are deeply affected. Family members suffering in silence, tolerating broken belongings, living in constant anxiety, forcing fake smiles to family members and neighbours until ultimately moving out fearing for their safety.

Worst, with the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is forced to be cooped up in their homes. This causes frustration, agitation and tension in a household. People are unable to have personal time when things get too much to handle especially when confined in the same common space. It is not surprising that more people in Singapore have been seeking help for mental health issues, especially during the pandemic.

Samaritans of Singapore received 26,460 calls for help from January to August this year, up from 21,429 in the same period the year before.

As a community, we need to unpack this issue, No matter how uncomfortable it may be. Hiding behind facades does not solve anything. An intergenerational discussion must be made. We cannot lay on our backs and not contribute to the discourse.

Mental health has become a trending issue in the world for many years now. In many instances, we have seen celebrities and famous and powerful people suffering very public mental breakdowns before admitting to suffering from mental illness. Influencers on social media going on a spiral until ultimately being diagnosed with having mental distress.

We can thank celebrity culture and social media for openly discussing their mental issues in the hopes to break the stigma and shame surrounding it. Like them for their attention-seeking ways or not, nevertheless it causes people to talk and have a discussion.

However, it is not enough that only the younger generation are cognizant of this issue while the older generations are still nonchalant about it. We need to go hand in hand and work together to tackle this concern. And with that, we need something every generation holds dear and close to them to highlight this subject; religion.

Islam has touched on the severity of a sound mind since its earliest inception. With a sound mind, one can understand Islam, its teachings, sciences, laws and nuances. Due to a disturbed state of mind, one may not be able to fully comprehend and practise what has been ordained upon him.

Many hadiths reference about how a mentally unsound individual is not responsible for his deeds and many Quranic verses point out the importance of the mind to understand Allah’s (SWT) creation. The most famous hadith concerning mental health is the Lifting of the Pen.

The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said:

“The Pen is lifted from three (i.e., their deeds are not recorded): A child until he reaches puberty, an insane man until he comes to his senses; one who is asleep until he wakes up.”

(Recorded in Abu Dawud #4403)

From the hadith, we understand that one’s actions are not recorded as a sin and he is not considered responsible if he does something grim while in a state of mindlessness or insanity. This is fair because one has to be in control of his consciousness and is aware of his surroundings to be held countable.

Regarding ibadah, the condition of a sound mind and being able to distinguish between right and wrong is required in most Islamic acts. When one is not sane and out of his mind, he is unable to perform his acts properly and dutifully.

Everyone should talk to family members or friends or someone they know about their concerns when they notice their loved ones behaving a peculiar and worrying way for extensive periods. Victims often suffer in silence.

Also, one should not hasten to judge whether someone has a mental disorder or not. It has to be through a certified medical practitioner. We should seek professional help at diagnosing and treating anyone suffering from mental illness. This is as stated In the Quran, “So ask the people of the message if you do not know.” An-Nahl: 43

Mental illness is not an issue that a Muslim should tiptoe around and hide beneath our carpets. It is a serious issue that affects our community and it should be addressed for the benefit of ummah.

In a hadith, Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment.”

(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 71, Hadith 582)

The hadith notes the importance of treatment of our health ailments. Noting that the hadith did not mention only seeking treatment for physical illnesses, but a broad and general spectrum of issues; physical, mental, spiritual. Therefore, if one finds himself or others thoroughly depressed for worrying long periods, experiencing senseless outbursts and breakdowns, or has an indifferent view on life, he or she should seek professional help.

As an ummah, we should work together to break the stigma of mental health issues in our community. We need to be ferocious and confrontational to those who still deny and brush aside this problem. With help and support, we can give these victims the help they desperately need.