Treatment concerns

Arab Americans are more likely to seek counsel from family instead of mental health professionals when experiencing mental health symptoms.

There is also a high prevalence of stigma in Arab American communities, which may prevent some individuals from seeking mental health care.

Arab Americans understand mental health conditions to have a spiritual or supernatural component, which differs from the U.S. medical understanding. According to a pilot study assessing attitudes toward depression in Arab American Muslims, 34.7 percent of respondents reported that black magic or evil eye could cause depression.

Trauma

Arab Americans who migrated to the U.S. due to political violence and religious persecution in their home countries are more likely to experience higher levels of depression and anxiety.

In the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Arab Americans have been the targets of discrimination, harassment, and hate crimes. Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East have exacerbated stereotypes about people of Arab descent.

Arab Americans who experienced harassment or abuse because of their identity report higher levels of psychological distress, lower levels of happiness, and worse health status.

Some Arab Americans are targeted for harassment and abuse because of their Muslim faith. Experiencing islamophobia is associated with poor mental health, according to a meta-analysis of studies.