I’m really depressed, I don’t know what to do

Wa alykum as-salaam ya ukhti!

I’d like to begin by saying that I pray for you to recover, insha Allah, and realize that this is something you can get over, for in The Qur’an God says: “God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear” [2:286]

As far as what I can do, I am unsure, but I have been asked questions like this before. I do not have any education in social work, but from what I have heard from friends is that instead of going to a counselor first, that the best thing to do first is to go to your primary physician and have a check up and be extremelyhonest with your doctor and discuss any issues you might have, which could be physical, not just mental.

You could be suffering from headaches, insomnia, grogginess, and a whole host of other issues that are contributing to how you feel. Please seek out your primary care physician first, and discuss with him/her what needs to be done, and speak to them about counseling and who you could go to.

I would also suggest talking to your family about this, and ask for their help. You would be surprised as to what our parents would do when we ask for help, and many times, we think our parents won’t understand, but that’s not the truth.

If your parents are not exactly open to the idea, and you know this, then go to your doctor first. If you have a school counselor whether you are in high school or a student health clinic at your university, please seek out help there.

I just want you to know that you can get past this, and you need to know that you don’t need to do this alone, no one gets through things alone, we always need to rely on other people, so do not be afraid to ask for help, there will always be someone who wants to help you.

I wrote something about depression as it related to The Qur’an, which you should not substitute for seeking out help from professionals. You can read that here. I do not have education in these issues, but as far as resources go, there is a directory (I’m unsure where you live) at muslimmentalhealth.org and another resource, if you’re from the DC area is muslimcounselors.org

If you would like to contact me privately, please send me a way to do so, and I will help as much as I can. Please seek out professional help, I am no substitute, I am not in any position to do that, your doctor and mental health professionals are, so use them, because seeking out medical help is the only aspect of this question I can speak to, that it is obligatory upon you as a Muslim, so please, do that.

Insha Allah, I hope I answered your question, and if you, or anyone else, has a question on this, or any other subject, please do not hesitate to ask me.