Psycho-Emotional Disorder in Unani Medicine: A Review of Ishq and Its Modern Correlate, Erotomania

Dr. Syed Osman Pasha, Dr. Khushnuma Khatoon, Dr. Syed Abdul Zahoor, Dr. Meenaz Fathima, Dr. Mohd Mahmood Farooqui

Abstract: Ishq is described in Unani medicine as an intense psycho-emotional state characterized by obsessive attachment, preoccupation, and profound longing, often progressing to disturbances in cognition, behavior, and overall mental well-being. Classical Unani scholars such as Ibn Sina, Jurjani, and Razi viewed Ishq as a pathological condition when excessive, linking it to derangements of the qalb (heart), dimagh (brain), and nafs (psyche). In contemporary psychiatry, several features of pathological Ishq overlap with erotomania (de Clerambault's syndrome), a delusional disorder in which an individual holds a fixed belief that another person-often of higher status-is in love with them. A comparative approach of this literature review suggests that integrating unani perspective with modern psychiatric understanding may provide more culturally sensitive and holistic approaches to diagnosis, management and to understand concept of modern with respect to unani. So, it will highlight the continuity of understanding human emotional and delusional love across time and tradition. This review aims to examine the concept of Ishq within Unani texts, explore its etiopathogenesis and clinical manifestations, and compare these with modern diagnostic criteria and clinical understanding of erotomania. By highlighting convergences and distinctions between the two constructs, the review seeks to provide a deeper understanding of psycho-emotional disorders in classical Unani thought and their relevance to contemporary mental health discourse. The article also underscores the importance of integrating traditional perspectives with modern psychiatric frameworks to enhance diagnostic insight and therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: Ishq, Psycho-emotional disorders, Erotomania, Delusional disorders, Obsessive love, Psychosis

How to Cite?: Dr. Syed Osman Pasha, Dr. Khushnuma Khatoon, Dr. Syed Abdul Zahoor, Dr. Meenaz Fathima, Dr. Mohd Mahmood Farooqui, "Psycho-Emotional Disorder in Unani Medicine: A Review of Ishq and Its Modern Correlate, Erotomania", Volume 14 Issue 12, December 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1148-1152, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR251213121959, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR251213121959