Islamic Radicals Often Suffer Depression: Study

The findings also indicate that members of the British Muslim community who less likely to become radicalized tend to be migrants not born in the U.K., have poor physical health, and have a higher number of friends and family, Medical Xpress reports.
 

For the study, researchers developed a new way of measuring risk of radicalization by asking participants about their sympathies and condemnation towards 16 terrorist actions (for example, use of suicide bombs to fight injustice). Those who showed most sympathies towards terrorist acts were deemed most at risk to radicalization, while those who showed most condemnation were believe to be most resistant.
 

The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS ONE, involved surveys of more than 600 men and women of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Muslim heritage in London and Bradford, aged 18-45. Respondents were also asked questions on a range of factors such as social capital, political engagement, perceived discrimination, religion, and general health.
 

“As a nation, we spend a great deal of time, effort and money on counter-terrorism – but virtually no attention is given to preventing radicalization before it has a chance to take hold,” said lead researcher Kamaldeep Bhui, a professor of cultural psychiatry  and epidemiology.

“We must change this approach and stop waiting for terrorism to happen before acting. The violence we're witnessing in Syria and Iraq are devastating examples of this – whereby seemingly ordinary British citizens have become radicalized enough to leave their lives in the U.K. and commit themselves to a hopeless future, and in some cases, commit atrocities against innocent people.”
 

Depression is closely associated with hopelessness, a more pessimistic outlook on life, suicidal thinking, and social isolation.  
 

“Pin-pointing who is at risk of radicalization is extremely difficult but this research is taking us one step closer to developing markers,” Bhui said. “The relationship between radicalization and mental health is complex but we now know depression, alongside poor social networks and isolation, does play a role in vulnerability to radicalization.”