In this piece I am going to address a difficult problem, one which, though so prevalent among British Jews, is often left unmentioned in our public forums. Many of you may relate personally to what I am about to write, while others will surely know a handful of people who are affected by the issue I will now address.

Fear, embarrassment and pride are underlying factors preventing many people in our community from speaking publicly about their mental health problems. In a society still lacking the know-how and understanding to interact properly with the physically disabled it is no shock that those suffering from mental ailments choose to keep quiet about their afflictions.

Negative interactions, as is often the case, stem from misunderstandings and misconceptions of what causes and how mental health problems affects people. In a society where 1 in 4 people people suffer from some kind of mental health problem each year I think it is important that we try and shed some light on this dark topic and importantly, look at simple steps to make it easier to talk openly about the state of our brains.

There are many factors that can cause mental health problems including upbringing, a traumatic experience and genetics. For most people, a mixture of anxiety and depression are the prevalent diagnosed forms of their mental health problems. Let me be clear that suffering from depression and/or anxiety is not necessarily the same as feeling depressed or anxious. All people will feel these emotions during the course of their lives and this is both natural and healthy. Depression and anxiety as a mental health problem are significantly different affecting sufferers in ways counter to the healthy way a person should experience these feelings. In this latter case, depression and anxiety are the result of harmful chemical changes in the body and need to be treated under the guidance of a doctor or expert.

Like a physical disability mental illness can impact a person’s life in a variety of different ways. Each individual will have their own way of coping or dealing with their specific problem. A person suffering from depression or anxiety might experience intense negative feelings constantly or very often, for no explainable reason and on a very deep level. The good news is that mental health problems are very treatable, both privately and on the NHS. Counselling, medication, group sessions and do-at-home exercises can help people to overcome and cope with their problems.  I advise anyone who feels they may be suffering from a mental health problem to consult with their doctor immediately.

The exact experience of a mental health problem will differ from person to person but there are some simple ways that you can help make the lives of sufferers slightly easier. In fact, the advice below is a good starting point for anyone who suspects they might be suffering from a mental health problem.

Getting educated on the subject by visiting sites such as Jewish Mental Health is a great start. Learning about the nuances of mental health problems and how to approach someone who you suspect is suffering from them puts you in a great position to reach out to your friends and family. This is especially important as identifying people with mental health problems is particularly difficult and often only close family and friends are able to recognise minute changes in a persons behaviour.

Mental Health problems are not specific to any group of people or community though the type of treatment that can have the most positive impact on a person should be tailored to the individuals specific needs. The Jewish community has it’s own “nuances” and “insider”-understandings and thankfully there are already established organisations in place to help those in pain. JAMI has over twenty years of experience in caring, supporting, educating and training people with mental health problems. Their approach is sensitive to the needs of the British Jewish community.

Here are three great ways to support their work:

1. Visit their fan page on facebook and click “like”
2. Follow them on Twitter at @JamiPeople and keep up-to-date with their work
3. Visit their website, use their online resources and get educated

A final tip is to stand up and speak out about mental health problems. By making the whole area less taboo to speak about publicly we allow people to open up to us about their problems without feeling shame or embarrassment. Having a mental health problem does not mean that a person is less intelligent, bad at socialising or incapable of achieving the highest standards of work and perfection. Stephen Fry and Leonard Cohen are just two of many successful Jews who have suffered from a major depressive disorder whilst having very successful careers.

One of the strengths of the British Jewish community is our ability to address problems internally, using our own resources to overcome challenges. Let us begin work with great organisations such as JAMI to tackle mental health problems in our community and make it clear to sufferers that we will support and help them in a non-judgmental way as they embark on their journey of recovery.