Jews in New York’s “Midtown” have been found in a new scientific study published here this weekend to enjoy a mental health situation more favorable than the situation attributed to Protestants and Catholics. However, a higher proportion of Jews obtain psychotherapy than do the members of the two other major religious groupings, the study showed.
The study, “Mental Health in the Metropolis, Volume I,” is the result of several years’ work by psychiatrists and sociologists, a number of whom are Jews. The survey showed that, while there are fewer Jews–compared with Protestants and Catholics–who are completely healthy mentally, there are also fewer Jews whose mental health is so severe as to impair their social functioning. Those Jews who are listed among the mentally ill show mostly symptoms that are mild and moderate.
The researches showed that half of the Jews said they would solicit professional aid from a psychotherapist if they felt they needed such help. Among Protestants the percentage is 31, and among Catholics the ratio is 23 percent. The study showed that, in a mental crisis, the two Christian groups relied more on physicians and on help from clergymen, as compared with Jews.
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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.
