Imam Ahmed Ibrahim recently stepped in to help a young Somali-American man who'd grown increasingly withdrawn and gloomy.
At his south Minneapolis mosque, Ibrahim offered support he had perfected over almost 25 years as an imam: readings from the Qur'an and prayers to recite morning and night. But Ibrahim also did something new: He gave the man a list of local therapists and urged him to seek help.
In the past year, Ibrahim and other Somali-American imams have gathered monthly to learn how to spot the signs of mental illness and steer mosque members to professional help. Hosted by Fairview Health Services, the training enlists the imams as key allies in chipping away at the stigma of mental illness and skepticism of mental-health treatment among Somali-Americans.
"The reality is that when Muslims face problems, the first place they come is the mosque," said Ibrahim. "When we make referrals, people take that seriously."
The training is among a spate of new efforts nationally to recruit faith leaders — Muslim, evangelical Christian and others — to counter deep-rooted notions of mental illness as a sign of spiritual failing or demonic possession.
In 2012, the University of Minnesota Medical Center conducted an Affordable Care Act-mandated survey of community needs in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Mental-health issues emerged as a top concern.
Sahra Noor, the medical center's community health director at the time, said some residents still deal with the fallout of fleeing a brutal civil war and with the stresses of starting over in America — from joblessness to family conflict.
A multiyear study of refugees from Somalia at a Minneapolis clinic published in 2010 found that more than 30 percent showed symptoms of psychosis and 15 percent suffered from depression, problems the study tied to war trauma and other factors. But Somali-Americans are often reluctant to seek professional help.