The Joint Distribution Committee plans an expansion in care for the high proportion of mentally disturbed persons among the survivors in Europe of the Nazi holocaust, Charles Jordan, JDC director-general, reported today.
He said the expanded program was the result of a psychiatric survey conducted in three countries by the JDC medical department, which was financed by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The cost of putting the expanded program into effect will be met from Claims Conference and JDC funds.
“We have been increasingly aware of the high incidence of mental disturbances among European Jews as a result of their traumatic experiences during the Nazi persecution,” the JDC official said. “The survey indicated that it is almost twice as high as among the general population. The survey also confirmed our impression that existing facilities for the care of the mentally ill, both public and private, are still far from adequate in most European countries.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.