I was shocked to read the advertised claims of a certain pill that "ends depression and anxiety in less than 15 minutes". Equally alarming is the study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in its January 2008 issue, which reveals how 88 per cent of clinical trials which showed that 12 widely-circulated antidepressants did not work, either were not published in medical journals, or were presented as positive findings. The cited study, led by Prof. Erick Turner of the Oregon Health and Science University, provides the first hard data on a problematic practice known as "selective reporting", in which the good news about a drug is made public, but the bad news is not. There is no current study to suggest that the percentage of Canadian Muslims who suffer from depression is any higher or lower than that of the general public. But as a provider of pastoral counselling and spiritual guidance, I know the pain a person can go through and I also know how difficult it can be to successfully refer the sufferer to a healthcare professional. Depression is a medical and psychological condition that can moderately to severely impair a person's ability to function in everyday life. Scientific and other professional surveys report that every year almost 10 per cent of American adults aged 18 and older experience some form or degree of depression. Other Western nations, including Canada, are not far behind. The symptoms of depression include feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, anxiety, guilt, or helplessness; prolonged periods of fatigue and decreased energy, often along with insomnia or oversleeping; loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed (including sex); increased difficulty concentrating, remembering things, or making decisions; appetite and/or weight changes; and thoughts of suicide, or suicide attempts. Although therapeutic intervention ��" which requires time, commitment and expertise ��" can alleviate symptoms in more than 80 per cent of those receiving treatment, less than half of those suffering with depression get the appropriate help, or get help when they most urgently need it. Many patients and their doctors find it easier and faster to rely only on medication to alleviate symptoms, but in most cases this is a short-term "quick-fix" that may mask deeper and even life-threatening problems. There are indications suggesting that highly industrialised and technologically complex Western countries have higher rates of mental illness than traditional societies such as those found among Arab, East Asian, African and various Pacific Island groups. Perhaps factors such as lifestyle, diet, environment, stress levels, and extended family dynamics play a significant cumulative role in an individual's wholistic health. A British study indicates that an alarming number of English men suffer mental health problems, but most have been brought up in the emotionally minimalist stiff-upper-lip tradition and are too "macho" to seek treatment. The study suggests more outreach work is needed among men to destigmatise mental health problems. There is hopeful news in empirical data showing a strong correlation between physical and mental health and faith, prayers, and religious practice. Four medical researchers (Mark Townsend, MD et al) with the Department of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University in Vermont rigorously reviewed more than three decades of medical research literature (published from 1963 - 1999) about the effects of religion on health.
