Depression – An Epidemic of Western Society

In the UK, suicide is the second highest killer of men under the age of 24 each year, second only to death resulting from road traffic accidents. 70% of recorded suicides (between 4000 - 6000) are linked to depression. Depression has been referred to as the 'common cold of psychiatry', with an estimated one in five people affected by it at some point in their life and more than 2.9 million people in the UK are diagnosed sufferers at any one time.

Depression is recognised as a medical condition that requires treatment and is one of the commonest conditions seen by the family doctor, with the average GP seeing one clinically depressed patient during each surgery session. Some of the common symptoms of depression include lack of motivation, sleep disturbances, weight gain or loss and change in appetite.

It affects people from all walks of life, including the rich and famous. Famous people, who have professed to suffering from it, include Vincent Van Gogh and Abraham Lincoln. Sufferers that are more recent include high profile celebrity figures such as Ruby Wax, Mariah Carey, Stephen Fry, Stan Collymore and Paul Gascoigne.

Research conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted the prevalence of depression in modern Western society. Research has concluded that of the ten most important disorders in developed countries (i.e. Western societies) depression was at number one. In respect of lost years due to premature death, depression was second only to cardiovascular diseases. It is further estimated that by the year 2020 depression will be second to chronic heart disease as an international health burden.

The prevalence of depression in Western societies is widespread and research shows a growth, year on year in the number of cases diagnosed, treated and even those culminating in suicide. However, what is less clear is why this is such a wide scale problem in Britain and in Western society in general and the failure of modern medicine to curb its effects.

A clear understanding of the intellectual needs of the human being is required and only then can the answer to why Western civilisation has generated such instability within its population be sought.

DEPRESSION - A FRUIT OF CAPITALISM

A deep and enlightened study of the human being will unravel that the human being is far more than just a materialistic animal driven by the sole objective to maximise the material pleasures of this life. It will uncover that striving to satisfy the needs through experiencing pleasures, such as acquiring wealth and status, are all but a shallow understanding of the human existence.

In fact the epicentre of the problem lies in the reality that the above principles are the ones by which the capitalist ideology defines for man his purpose in life, his motivations, his goals and the means by which to achieve them. In addition to this the ideology of Capitalism, upon which all Western societies are built, is based upon the separation of religion from life i.e. secularism. This basis advocates that the critical questions about the origin of life and the world where man lives and what man will experience after death, are irrelevant to man's life and it is not necessary to offer an answer for them.

Furthermore, it distracts man from pursuing satisfactory answers to these questions by tempting him to follow his desires and live to satisfy his needs. So much so that descriptions for Western life such as ''eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die'' or ''live for today'' or ''you only live once'' have all become common in explaining the motivation of Western society. Multiple obsessions, such as the mass following of football teams and other sports, DIY addicts, Hollywood and the pub culture are rife. These are all symptoms of a society driven to enjoy life, as if there was nothing more to it than the pursuit of pleasure.

If one were to study the intellectual needs of the human being it would become evident that those questions, which Capitalism ignored and diverted from the attention of man, are without doubt the most important questions in the life of any human being. Whenever man faces a calamity whereby he cannot understand why such a problem has afflicted him, only the intellectual answers to the questions about the origin of life and the role of the Creator will equip him to endure the course of his suffering. These answers agree with his nature and will prevent him from straying into confusion, bitterness and misery.

For example, commonly used descriptions to provide an answer for bereavements such as ''his number was up'', ''when your time comes'' or ''everyone's got to go sometime'' are offered as consoling remarks to try to accept the death. However, for the one suffering the death of a loved one these shallow words offer little comfort and it will lead to misery as he tries to comprehend why death has occurred and why it has affected him and why he did not take measures that could have prevented it.

Similarly, Capitalism offers no intellectual support to those who suffer the problems of financial ruin, divorce or failure in their careers or business.

Furthermore, Capitalism's answer to the goal in life being the pursuit of pleasure is such a shallow deception of the reality of man's existence that in the course of people's lives in Western society every person at some stage will question this basis.

This anxiety is often known as the mid-life crisis when people realise that they basically do the same thing day after day, week after week and year after year and all they achieve is getting older, and nearer to death. This realisation that their life constitutes working every day, shopping and chores at the weekend, two weeks summer holiday abroad and Christmas when they overindulge, leads to a sense of failure in life and an almost wasted existence. It begins to provoke thought in what is actually achieved by living just to put on weight and buy a bigger car and second house.

However, unfortunately, as Capitalism offers no solution to this, often what happens is people side step the cause of their depression and attempt to re-structure their lives in a blind search to fill their void in life.

It is apparent from the above issues that Capitalism is an ideology that contradicts the nature of the human being and fails to prepare him intellectually for the journey of life. Furthermore, an insight into the way Islam brings complete tranquillity to the human being and prepares him completely to proceed through the challenges of life will demonstrate how Capitalism is not only inadequate, but in fact a danger for the human race.

ISLAM - THE SAVIOUR OF MANKIND

An understanding of the intellectual basis of Islam reveals how it equips the human being to endure all calamities and be aware of the correct goal in life so he would feel achievement, joy, success and peace, even if his needs were not satisfied. Moreover, it would expose the danger which capitalism poses and how its intellectually deviant basis is leading to the abnormal epidemic of depression and is progressing to the complete malfunction of the human being.

Islam offers an intellectual basis, which is built on a certain conviction in the Creator Allah (swt), by contemplating on His (swt) creation such as the sky and sea and the miracle of His (swt) revelation, the Holy Qur'an. Such conviction never leads the Muslim to be confused, when he considers the nature of his existence but rather it gives him certainty in the truth of Islam. The confusion, misery and illness of thought suffered by Western society such as ''if God existed he wouldn't do this or that'', ''no one really knows if God exists'' or ''God is whoever you want him to be'' can never exist in those who believe in Islam.

Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an;


''Will they not look at the camels, how they are created! And the heaven, how it is raised! And the Mountains, how they are set up1 And the earth, how it is spread!'' [ Al-Ghashiyah: 17-20]

When faced with calamity, the Muslim would feel pain or sorrow, as would any human being. However, it would not ordinarily push him towards the depths of despair or depression. This is because Islam has lifted the burden of material failure in this life from the Muslim. The understanding of Qalaa' (fate), Rizq (sustenance) and Ajal (lifespan) give solace to the Muslim that wealth, health, life, family and those calamities that occurred from outside his control are all from Allah (swt) and Allah (swt) will not account him in these issues. So if Allah (swt) was to reduce or remove any of these provisions, then the Muslim would accept this with patience and understand that this is from his Lord (swt).

Allah (swt) says in Surah Saba:



''Prophet, say to them, My Lord gives abundantly to whomever of His servants He wills and sparingly to whom He wills. What ever you spend, He replenishes it by other provisions; He is the best of providers." [ Saba: 39]

Allah (swt) says in surah Ash-Shura:


''Allah is very kind to His servants; He gives whatever He pleases to whom He wills; He is the All - powerful, the Almighty.'' [ Ash-Shura: 19]

In addition, Allah (swt) informs us in surah al-A'raf:


''To every people is a term appointed. When their term is reached, not an hour can they delay it, nor (by an hour) can they advance it (in anticipation).'' [ Al-A'raf: 34]

Therefore, Islam equips the Muslim to never fall into despair or depression when calamity strikes him, but to understand that this is something that Allah (swt) controls and man cannot influence. Furthermore, these calamities act as a reminder for man to review his actions and to ensure he maintains himself on the path of obedience to Islam, as opposed to driving him to confusion.

Allah (swt) says:


"Do they not see that they are tried every year, once or twice? Yet they turn not in repentance, and they take no heed.'' [ At-Taubah: 126]

Islam gave the correct objective in life when it made adherence to Allah's (swt) law and His (swt) worship the objective in life, and He (swt) has informed us in the Qur'an that we would be tried on the Day of Judgement regarding our adherence to his laws. Islam has never neglected the needs of man and obliged him to work to secure them but it never made them the goal in life, as this is equivalent to the existence of animals.

Hence, the beauty of Islam has bought tranquillity to all believers, as Islam agrees with man's nature, it gives an intellectual conviction with proofs and it does not penalise man on failure in areas he cannot control. It gives him tranquillity and happiness through the realisation that regardless of what happens in life, as long as he is obedient to the Hukm Shar'i then he is succeeding in his life's objective.

CONCLUSION

Depression is just one of the illnesses of the capitalist ideology and is one of the many miseries that this corrupt way of life is imposing upon the world. Western civilisation will continue to spiral down these diseases in their society and attempts to correct or reverse them will never succeed completely, as the essence of the problem lies in the very foundation of their thought.

Islam is the only saviour, to rescue the suffering people of the West and bring to them peace and tranquillity, after their misery and despair.