May is Mental Health Month and an opportunity for our Jewish community to reflect on the importance of mental health and the reality of mental illness.
Mental illness will strike one in five adults and children in a given year, including families from all walks of life, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious, education or income.
Mental illnesses are real diseases, not imaginary; and they are common, more so than many of the most frequently seen physical ailments.
They are treatable, with success rates in excess of those of many other illnesses. Research has given us effective treatments and service delivery strategies for many mental disorders.
Just as a diabetic takes insulin, most people with serious mental illness need medication to help control symptoms. Counseling, self-help groups, housing, vocational rehabilitation, income assistance and other community services can also provide support and stability, contributing to recovery.
Although treatment works, most people who need it don’t receive it. Many do not seek mental health care because of cost concerns — which are made worse by the disparity in insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders in contrast to other illnesses.
Stigma also contributes to the failure to seek treatment. As a society, we are bombarded with negative images of people with mental illnesses, resulting in perception that people who suffer from them are to be feared and avoided.
This stigma has tragic consequences, as many people fail to seek treatment because of the shame associated with their illnesses. And most will experience some form of discrimination, whether in the workplace, school, health insurance plans or social settings.
Jewish perspective
What is the Jewish perspective? Jewish tradition teaches us that providing health care is not just an obligation for the patient and the doctor, but for society as well.
It is for this reason that the great medieval rabbi-philosopher-physician Maimonides listed health care first on his list of the ten most important communal services that a city had to offer to its residents.
In the prayer for healing, we ask God for r’fuah sh’leimah, a complete recovery – a healing of both the body and spirit. Our tradition recognizes that good health encompasses not only the body, but also the mind, and that the obligation to maintain mental health is an important component of the broader obligation to preserve health.
Reflecting these values, Jewish agencies play a critical role in delivery of mental health services through nursing homes, assisted living facilities, family service agencies, community centers, hospitals, and other programs.
In Milwaukee, Jewish agencies providing mental health and counseling services include Jewish Family Services, the Jewish Home and Care Center, the Jewish Chaplaincy Program, and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center. Community rabbis also provide counseling services.
Jewish schools and camps also provide counseling to the children they serve. Jewish professionals play a leading role in the mental health field as service providers, researchers and advocates.
Although mental illness touches many families in our community, mental health concerns are often stigmatized and ignored. What can we do as individuals and as a Jewish community to create a caring community that responds with compassion and sensitivity to mental illness?
• Raise awareness of mental health issues and treatment resources through education. Invite a speaker from JFS or other community agencies to talk with your synagogue or organization.
• Our synagogues, schools and agencies can play an important role in providing a place of welcome and acceptance for persons with mental illness, and support for individuals who are ill and their families as they struggle with living with a mental illness. Many area synagogues are planning activities to encourage mental health awareness this month.
• Mental illness tends to isolate people. Reach out to someone who has a mental illness with understanding and respect, as you would to someone with a physical illness. Offer support and understanding to family members as well. Keep in touch to show continuing concern.
• Volunteer your time in programs serving persons who have a mental illness, such as the JFS Breakfast Club. Contact JFS or the Grand Avenue Club for volunteer opportunities.
• Support passage of mental health parity legislation in Madison and Washington.
• Join with other Jewish community members to address these needs. JFS and the
Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations are collaborating to explore opportunities to increase awareness in the Jewish community of mental health concerns and resources, with the support of the Helen Bader Foundation.
Through the compassion and support of our congregations and organizations, we can strive to remove the stigma and misunderstanding that surround those with mental and emotional illness. With education, awareness, and sensitivity, we can work to create a welcoming community that embraces all people.
Barbara Beckert is assistant director of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations. Judy Strauss is vice president of program services at Jewish family Services.
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