Depression Post Hajj Pilgrimage: A Case Report

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-966-7_26How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Hajj; depression; pilgrimage; spirituality; geopsychiatry

Abstract

The Hajj pilgrimage is often regarded as a spiritually fulfilling experience that brings peace and personal transformation. However, for some individuals with underlying psychological vulnerabilities, it may also coincide with the onset of emotional disturbances. This case report presents a 39-year-old woman, a divorced mother of four, with a history of depressive disorder, who developed a new depressive episode shortly after returning from the Hajj pilgrimage. Although the journey was described as meaningful and spiritually enriching, the patient began to experience persistent low mood, loss of interest in daily activities, decreased appetite, and emotional emptiness within 2 weeks of returning. There were no new identifiable life stressors or medical conditions contributing to her symptoms. The mental status examination revealed a depressed affect and preoccupations related to her role as a single mother, despite the spiritual highs she experienced during Hajj. The patient was treated with antidepressant medication and supportive psychotherapy, leading to noticeable improvement in her emotional state. This case illustrates the nuanced and individualized responses to spiritually intense experiences, particularly in those with pre-existing mood disorders. It also emphasizes the importance of culturally informed mental health support for returning pilgrims, especially for those navigating complex psychosocial roles and emotional histories. This case illustrates that while spiritual experiences during Hajj may provide temporary relief, geopsychiatry aspects such as environmental, psychosocial, and cultural factors in the individual’s home setting can contribute to the recurrence of depressive symptoms.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Elsi Fitri Dewi
AU  - Mustafa Mahmud Amin
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/25
TI  - Depression Post Hajj Pilgrimage: A Case Report
BT  - Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Neuroscience, Neurology, and Psychiatry 2025 (ICONAP 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 180
EP  - 185
SN  - 2468-5739
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-966-7_26
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-966-7_26
ID  - Dewi2025
ER  -