We are our brother’s 'mental health' keeper

It seems that Israeli psychologists are booked to the max, these days, with long wait-listed lines in the rare event of a cancelation. Of course, none of this is a strange phenomenon, given the extreme trauma which has been suffered by so many Israelis over the last 15 months.

Encompassing kibbutz survivors, as well as those who were fortunate enough to escape the Nova event of October 7th, there are also those whose families and friends were killed or kidnapped, as well as returning hostages, all of whom require special attention.  Add to that the hundreds of thousands who were displaced from their southern or northern communities, children who missed months of schooling, those who suffered the anxiety of constantly running back and forth to their bomb shelters, if they even had one, and soldiers who have seen the worst atrocities known to man.  

This is just a short list of so many others who now find themselves in need of treatment for serious mental issues. Just in this weekend’s newspaper, a number of articles appeared on the subject, one, especially helpful, written by psychologist Renee Garfinkel, entitled, “The mental health crisis.” She wrote a similar article on January 9th, “Responding to Israel’s mental health crisis.”  

In this latest writing, Garfinkel relates about having been confronted by a mother, whose daughter was “suffering from acute and serious emotional distress but unable to get an appointment with a therapist.” That is because there are simply not enough psychologists to cover the enormity of what the population has endured.  Most interesting, though, was her explanation that “mental health begins with the deeply human need for connection.”

In the midst of all the depressing statistics and lack of professional resources, it was the one which stood out as a bright ray of hope, because it essentially made the argument that a caring, loving and tender word, touch or interaction can also have a profound and lasting effect on a broken, hurting soul who feels isolated, alone and totally paralyzed.

When a person’s well-being is completely disabled and crushed, the business of life becomes an almost intolerable burden, accompanied by the feeling that there is no more reason to go on. That’s hard enough when it happens to a few people, but when a country is riddled by large pockets of individuals who are no longer able to function as they once did, it becomes necessary for each of us to pick up the slack where trained professionals are simply unavailable.

In the case of Israel, the need has become urgent and ubiquitous, due to the protracted war which we have been fighting ever since that fated day in October 2023, but the need is not solely unique to this part of the world. 

Everyone on the planet was adversely affected, in some way, during the three-year Covid pandemic, which changed our world as we knew it, cheating us out of freedoms, the ability to come and go as we pleased and, most of all, the element of human connection. So many felt cut off, lonely and helpless as our daily routine was disrupted, causing us to feel out of control.

Sometimes, all we had was the telephone as we were discouraged to host or be hosted in other people’s homes. One city even warned neighbors against doing more than waving to one another from a distance.

Consequently, the mental health crisis has reached most everyone in the last few years.  And while professional help may be the best course of action, a once or twice-a week meeting surely cannot take the place of a warm visit or phone call, a hearty embrace or even a long chat where someone is willing to listen and shed tears with you.

This was my own experience just a few short weeks ago, as I received the shocking news that very close friends were both instantly killed in a tragic motorcycle accident.  Devastated by the sudden loss of people my husband and I held as family members, we were blessed by daily phone calls, words of comfort and even a visit or two by others who felt our pain and simply wanted to make sure we were surrounded with love and visible affection.

The void is still there, but it helped so much, knowing that caring people were doing their best to reach out. Being that helping hand or listening ear, at a time when so many hurting people cannot find a professional alternative, can make all the difference.  To the extent that we are able, sharing one another’s burdens can alleviate a rapidly spreading environment of brokenness, despondency and utter depression.

Yes, there are organizations and hotlines, as mentioned in the article, but nothing takes the place of the presence of someone who is willing to devote some quality time to their neighbor, friend or family member who has fallen on sad times and cannot lift themselves out of it.

Of course, it’s possible that it might not be so obvious, because we often do our best to cover up feelings of hopelessness or lack, but if you make yourself available, it could be surprising just how quickly everything is divulged about their situation and inability to cope.  

This is why we must be our brother’s mental health keeper. Because, we possess the ability to provide the strength, compassion and friendship which we, ourselves, may come to desperately need in the future, and wouldn’t we like to know that the time we are investing in someone now will be returned when we most require it. 

Dr. Garfinkel believes, at least in the case of Israel, that we “have the ingenuity and resources to meet the challenges by blending human compassion with technological innovation (AI), facilitating us to create a mental health system that not only heals but uplifts its people.”  

While that may be, no one should underestimate the power they have to be a source of comfort and inspiration, which often comes from our own sense of a loving God who faithfully cares for us by using others to lift us up at the right moment.

You, too, can be that breath of fresh air, with just one phone call. There’s nothing more consequential than being a voice of hope, as you become the extension of God’s kindness to someone you may suspect is going through a hard time. Be that life line!