In Dearborn, home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the US and also known as the capital of Arab America, mental health issues are exacerbated because of the stigma that often surrounds mental illness in Muslim communities.

Harnada Hamid Altalib, president of the Institute for Muslim Mental Health said: “You have challenges in all cultures, including a stigma about mental health and a resistance to talking about it, but there are some things that are particularly salient to Muslim culture.”

“You have a mistrust of the system if you’re an immigrant and not in your home country, and there’s a reluctance to see a doctor. Specific to Muslims, there’s a concern about Islamophobia in the system.”

Dearborn police, the city’s Department of Public Health, and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (Access) have been working together to address mental health issues affecting the city.

Source: Middle East Eye