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Key points
- Some research shows that religious faith can bolster mental health resilience and help foster recovery from mental illness.
- Most research studies have focused on Christians, and there has been a lack of research on religious minorities.
- Little is known about the mental health beliefs, behaviours and attitudes of Orthodox Jews.
- As such, a new research study is setting out to explore mental health perspectives and experiences among Orthodox Jews.
The month of December is an important time for many people of religious faith. Christians are currently observing the Christmas season, while Jews recently celebrated the festival of Hanukkah. Of note, an amassed body of research indicates that religious belief and practice can have many positive benefits on psychological resilience and mental health.
For instance, some research shows that religious faith may be especially important in times of heightened stress and vulnerability—for example, when experiencing a life-changing event such as a bereavement or physical illness. In these instances, religion can provide a helpful framework of understanding as well as beneficial social resources.
However much of the research literature on religion and mental health comes from studies of Christians, and there has been insufficient research on mental health and resilience among religious minorities.
Haredi Jews
One community that remains particularly under-researched are Orthodox Jews, particularly Haredi Jews (known to outsiders as the 'ultra-orthodox') who observe strict adherence to traditional Jewish teachings and law.
Estimates suggest around 2 million Haredi Jews across the world, with a large population in Israel, as well as significant populations in New York, London, Montreal, Antwerp, Amsterdam, and elsewhere.
Haredi Jews make an invaluable contribution to the cultural life and local economy of these places, however, their experience with official mental health services and their common mental health beliefs and practices remain relatively unknown, especially in communities outside of Israel.
The small amount of research that has occurred indicates that Haredi Jews with mental health issues often avoid using official mental health services, and sometimes tend to consult such services only in serious cases. In other words, Haredi Jews with common mental disorders such as depression or anxiety may remain untreated for these issues.
There has been some speculation as to why such official mental health services may be avoided.
First, there may be a lack of religious competence among clinicians, especially those unfamiliar with Jewish Orthodox practices, leading to clumsy and confused clinical-patient interactions.
Second, Orthodox Jews with mental health issues may instead engage in religiously inspired coping or faith-based healing practices, sometimes with encouragement from rabbis and others.
Third, there may be issues of mental health stigma and medical mistrust, as seen in many minority religious cultural communities.
New Research
The above is speculation and these are all open questions, prompting myself and my colleagues to begin a new research study examining mental health beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors among Haredi Jews. This project involves close collaboration between Jewish organizations, experienced clinicians, religious leaders, and the research team.
In this study, we will conduct in-depth interviews with Haredi men and women who have had mental health issues such as anxiety and depression to better understand their experience with official mental health services, especially on matters related to the cultural competence of clinicians.
We are also interested in learning about other resources that Haredi Jews use to foster mental health resilience, whether through religious healing, prayer, or other practices, as well as common beliefs and attitudes towards mental health issues in general.
The data generated from this study will be used to produce resources in English, Yiddish, and Hebrew containing information on (i) mental health literacy; (ii) navigating the mental health system; and (iii) culturally-grounded self-care strategies that can be used to foster recovery.
We also plan to produce resources and trainings for health service providers and medical students to increase their cultural and religious competence.
This two-pronged strategy aims to educate and inform the Haredi community, as well as the clinicians that treat them. This may ultimately improve the mental health and psychological resilience of Orthodox Jews, an under-researched demographic that may have specific experiences and unaddressed needs.
