Position Statements

Mental Health Services

Approved by Domestic Public Policy Task Force, May 2, 2001
Approved by Executive Committee, May 9, 2001
Approved by the MJCCR Board, May 16, 2001

The soul that I have placed in you, sustain it... 
Talmud, Taanit 22b, based on Genesis, 2:7

BACKGROUND
The Jewish Perspective.  The Bible includes many statements concerning the obligation to maintain one's health.  We are urged to preserve life (Deuteronomy, 30:19) and to "Be exceedingly heedful of yourselves..." (Deuteronomy, 4:15).  Health maintenance also includes the responsibility to take care of the self: "The soul that I have placed in you, sustain it".  Thus, our tradition teaches that good health encompasses not only the physical dimension, but also the mental, and that the obligation to maintain mental health is an important component of the broader obligation to preserve health.     

Medical care, both for physical and mental ailments, is a means to preserve and improve the quality of lives. Within the Jewish community, caring for Jews and others in need has always been a priority and commitment, and health care has long been recognized as our communal obligation.  For many centuries, rabbis, physicians, nurses, and other caregivers have been close partners in the common effort to improve the quality of life.  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 Maimonides, a revered Jewish scholar, listed health care first on his list of the ten most important communal services that a city had to offer to its residents. We believe that people are endowed with the understanding and ability to become partners with God in making a better world, partly through using our wisdom to cure illnesses.

Jewish Community Service Providers.  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, the Jewish community provides support to several service providers of mental health and counseling services including Jewish Family Services, the Jewish Home and Care Center, the Jewish Chaplaincy Program, and the Jewish Community Center.  Community rabbis provide counseling services.  Jewish community day schools, pre-schools, and camps also provide some counseling services to the children they serve.  Jewish professionals play a leading role in the mental health field as service providers, researchers, and advocates.

The General Perspective.  More than 50 million adults - nearly 25% of the U.S. adult population - annually suffer from mental disorders or substance abuse disorders (American Psychiatric Association).  Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. These illnesses have a great impact on society. Four of the top ten leading causes of disability are mental illnesses including clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder.  The estimated cost of mental health care is over $150 billion per year.

Despite stereotypes and misconceptions about the intractability of mental illness, these brain disorders are treatable. 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. Supportive counseling, self-help groups, housing, vocational rehabilitation, income assistance and other community services can also provide support and stability, contributing to recovery. Support for continued research is essential to help us gain a further understanding of what goes wrong in the brain in mental illness and to develop better approaches for the treatment and prevention of mental illness.

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