Diagnosis and treatment of lovesickness: An Islamic medieval case study. Special Issue: Violent behavior and mental illness.
Author: Hajal, F.
Source:
Psychiatric Services, 45(7), 647-650.
Describes a case of lovesickness and its treatment by Ibn Sina, illustrating the medical psychiatric tradition of the Islamic medieval Middle East and its resonances today. Sina recommended marriage, or if that were not possible, a treatment similar to that for melancholic patients: prescribing regimens to restore the balance of humors, drinking opium potions to help with sleep, and keeping patients busy with work, hunting, or travel to distract them from thoughts of the loved one. Lovesickness as an illness seems to have pertinence today, particularly in treatment of adolescents. Sina's use of biopsychosocial treatment is presented as an ideal doctors today should strive for.