Lesson 6 of 6 · When loneliness has become depression
What help looks like, including where the evidence is thin
Two things at once. Seeking help is instructed in the reports below, in the same breath as strength, so nobody has to feel they are asking for something the tradition frowns on. And the research on loneliness programmes is genuinely mixed, which we would rather show you than tidy away.
The fuller wording of the first report carries the clause this reader needs most: strive for what will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. Quoted whole it also says there is good in everyone, which is the half that gets dropped when it is used at people who feel weak. The help sought in it is Allah's help, so it does not by itself make the case for seeing a clinician. The second report does that, and it does it as an instruction rather than a permission. They asked, Messenger of Allah, should we make use of medical treatment? He replied: make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it.
Qur’an and Sunnah
The fuller wording carries the clause this reader needs most. Strive for what will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. Quoted whole it also says there is good in everyone, which is the half that gets dropped when it is used at people who feel weak.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don't say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your" if" opens the (gate) for the Satan
Sahih Muslim 2664graded sound, sahihaynthe Arabic and its grading
The same report in a second collection, and its limit is worth being careful about. The help sought in it is Allah's help, so it does not by itself make the case for seeing a clinician.
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say, "if only I had done such and such" rather say "Qaddara Allahu wa ma sha'a fa'ala (Allah has decreed and whatever he wills, He does)." For (saying) 'If' opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan
Sunan Ibn Majah 79graded sound, albanithe Arabic and its grading
And this one does, as an instruction rather than a permission. They asked whether they should make use of medical treatment and were told to.
Narrated Usamah ibn Sharik: I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions were sitting as if they had birds on their heads. I saluted and sat down. The desert Arabs then came from here and there. They asked: Messenger of Allah, should we make use of medical treatment? He replied: Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age
Sunan Abi Dawud 3855graded sound, albanithe Arabic and its grading
What the research says
For people who are lonely and also have a mental health condition, the evidence base is limited and no one approach is clearly established. That is stated here rather than hidden, because you deserve to know when the ground is thin.
A review of loneliness work aimed specifically at people who also have a mental health condition. Its conclusion is that the evidence base is limited and that no one approach is established as clearly effective for this group. That is the honest state of the field, and it is a reason to get a person involved rather than to keep reading.
Mann F, Bone JK, Lloyd-Evans B, Frerichs J, Pinfold V, Ma R, Wang J, Johnson S (2017). A life less lonely: the state of the art in interventions to reduce loneliness in people with mental health problems. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(6), 627 to 638 doi