Surge in young Jewish people seeking mental health support
Jami, the mental health service for the Jewish community, reports experiencing an unprecedented demand from young adults seeking assistance.
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Jewish mental health campaigners this week warned there has been an unprecedented rise in mental health issues in the community, particularly among younger people.
Activists were reacting to a new Nuffield Health survey, which reveals that, in a poll of 8,000 people in Britain, one-in-three adults believes their mental health has deteriorated over the past year, with 37 percent of adults more concerned about their mental health owing to coronavirus.
Laurie Rackind, chief executive of Jami, the mental health service for the Jewish community, said: “We certainly saw an increase right at the start of the pandemic in referrals, and we understood that the mental health impact would outlast the Covid curve.
“We have been getting three times the demand for assistance, and double the number of requests from young adults. Our staff are doing more and more, and we are taking on more staff.”
Rackind noted that the “great work” done at the start of the pandemic, in which people pulled together to visit and talk where possible, had largely been lost over the past months, and he hoped it could be revived.
Jami is now launching a pilot scheme, the CYP, or Children and Young Persons Service, aimed at 11- to 16-year-olds. The scheme, which will run initially for a year so it can be effectively monitored, will offer “personalised, one-to-one support”, which could include “advice and signposting to other statutory or voluntary sector services, joint work with carers and/or education teams to support families, carers and schools in the child’s ‘network’, or support from health professionals such as occupational therapists, social workers and children’s wellbeing practitioners”.
Jami’s CYP offers practical help to parents and families, with a range of immediate responses to people who say their child has been self-harming or having suicidal thoughts.
Additionally, the charity advises: “Look after yourself. Supporting someone who is suicidal can be shocking and emotionally draining. Find ways of reducing the immediate stress and find someone to talk to about your experience.”
Louisa Rose, chief executive of the mental health charity Beyond, founded by campaigner and activist Jonny Benjamin, echoed the concerns. Beyond raises money to help young people with mental health issues.
She said: “The system [British mental health treatment] is not set up to cope with the demand we have seen.
“The number of referrals has risen in the last few years and people are stuck on waiting lists without internal support.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
