Sanity and Sanctity: Mental Health Work Among the Ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem

Ultra-orthodox Jews in Jerusalem are isolated from the secular community that surrounds them not only physically but by their dress, behaviors, and beliefs. Their relationship with secular society is characterized by social, religious, and political tensions. The differences between the ultra-orthodox and secular often pose special difficulties for psychiatrists who attempt to deal with their needs.In this book, two Western-trained psychiatrists discuss their mental health work with this community over the past two decades. With humor and affection they elaborate on some of the factors that make it difficult to treat or even to diagnose the ultra-orthodox, present fascinating case studies, and relate their observations of this religious community to the management of mental health services for other fundamentalist, anti-secular groups. Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 1. To Begin, Just Say, "How Are You?"......Page 12 Part I: An Introduction to Ultra-Orthodoxy and Community Mental Health Work in Jerusalem......Page 16 2. The Initiation of Mental Health Care for the Ultra-Orthodox......Page 18 3. Changing Attitudes in Cultural Psychiatry......Page 24 4. A Match Is Arranged Between Cultural Psychiatry and Ultra-Orthodox Judaism......Page 28 5. Varieties of Religious Identification......Page 32 6. The Parable of the Turkey......Page 37 Part II: The Psychopathology of Belief and Ritual......Page 46 7. Beliefs and Delusions......Page 48 8. Visions and Hallucinations: Angels in Today’sWorld......Page 63 9. Nocturnal Hallucinations......Page 71 10. ‘‘A Big Man Dressed in Black Is Hitting Me’’: Deconstructing the Narrative......Page 82 11. Phenomenology and Differential Diagnoses of Nocturnal Hallucinations......Page 97 12. Normative Rituals......Page 104 13. Ritual as Psychopathology, or Is the Code of Jewish Law a Compulsive's Natural Habitat?......Page 119 14. Religious Ritual and OCD: Is the Torah a ‘‘Perfect Medicine’’ or Does It Cause OCD?......Page 136 Part III: Psychopathology and Religious Return......Page 146 15. The Baal Teshuva and Mental Health, or Why the Camel Changed His Burden, and How He Felt About It......Page 148 16. Mental Illness and Religious Change: The Chicken or the Egg......Page 162 17. ‘‘A Very Narrow Bridge’’: Pyschopathology Among Baalei Teshuva in a Fringe Hasidic Group......Page 174 18. Mysticism and Psychosis: The Fate of Ben Zoma......Page 189 19. ‘‘Jerusalem Syndrome’’: Tourists Who Freak Out and Break Down in the Holy City......Page 204 Part IV: The Provision of Mental Health Care......Page 222 20. Ultra-Orthodox Attitudes Toward Mental Health Care......Page 224 21. Improving Mental Health Care for the Ultra-Orthodox......Page 235 22. Treating Depression in the Community by the Community......Page 252 Part V: Case Studies......Page 262 23. The Soldier of the Apocalypse......Page 264 24. The Healing Power of Ritual......Page 281 25. Paradise Regained: Breaking Through the Mask of Catatonia......Page 301 Part VI: Conclusion......Page 318 26. Betrayal: The Prince and theWise Man Revisited......Page 320 27. Broken Souls Are Not Easily Mended......Page 337 Notes......Page 344 Glossary......Page 368 Bibliography......Page 374 Index......Page 394