Questions tagged [psych-mentalhealth]
The psych-mentalhealth tag has no usage guidance.
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Free will of people with mental disorders
It is said that God cannot affect people's free will and that is why he does not manifest himself directly. However, what about psychiatric problems in this category? They somehow alter people's ...
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If it is time for set prayer, and one can only either pray or exercise, what comes first?
If one only has the strength or will-power or interest to do one thing, which should it be: Pray (e.g., Shacharis, Mincha or Maariv) or exercise?
For instance, say one comes home from work late one ...
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If one is mentally drained, should a person still daven? Even if that person cannot concentrate?
Is there any point at all in davening in such a situation?
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Is one culpable for transgressing shabbos if he is having a mental breakdown
Over the years I've heard and seen people who were smoking on shabbos, but I noticed they were clearly having a mental breakdown. I would say maybe even outwardly displaying suicidal emotions.
Are ...
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Is it true that abortion is allowed if it endangers the mother's mental health?
I heard this and it makes no sense because then almost every mother would have the excuse to abort; What would the exact parameters of such mental health issues be?
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Any suggestions as to how we could connect the various Neurodiverse Labels (ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Autism) to the Torah?
The website below lists the various challenges and struggles of people with the various neurodiverse labels as well as the struggles it also lists their qualities and their strengths and the various ...
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Drunkness on Purim and Alcoholism
Are there any poskim that formally address alcoholism and Purim? Is there a formal pesak halakha saying if one is an alcoholic, they are not to get drunk.
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Where do the severely depressed and mentally ill fit in within Judaism's view of the world?
Mental illness is a strange topic because I find it creates conflict with a lot of the beliefs I've been taught about sin and free will.
The vast majority of the world operates under their own choice. ...
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What is meant by the ‘madness’ mentioned in Devarim 28:28?
Devarim 28:28:
‘Hashem will strike you with madness, blindness and dismay.’ (NJPS rendering)
What is meant by madness here? Is it recommended that one rely on the modern discipline of psychiatry and ...
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Are the rights which provide basis for assertiveness in line with Jewish philosophy?
A common feature of assertiveness training involves one internalizing an assertiveness "bill of rights". Below is a an example of a popular list of such rights from Manuel J. Smith:
I: You ...
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Did Maimonides really refer to Muhammad (the Islamic prophet) as a false prophet and a madman?
Maimonides referred to Muhammad as a false prophet and an insane man. In his Epistle to Yemen he wrote "After Jesus arose the Madman who emulated his precursor Jesus, since he paved the way for ...
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Is basing one’s self worth on his achievements a Jewish idea?
David Burns, one of the founders of CBT, refers to the belief that one’s worth is entirely based upon his achievements as “Achievement Addiction”, and notes that there are many disadvantages to this ...
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Halachic obligation to honor narcissistic mother and or father
What are the halachic obligations are to honor a mother or father that are a narcissist? An adult child may be trying to separate from emotional abuse and codependent relationship but this can often ...
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יהי רצון שיהיה לרפואה on optional pills
Many say יהי רצון שיהיה לרפואה before taking pills and other forms of medicine:
Flavorless medicine, such as pills that you swallow, do not require a blessing—but we do say a prayer that the medicine ...
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Kavanah, Prayer and OCD
Shalom,
Well to start off, since a very young age I have suffered from quite severe and crushing OCD (as the title would suggest). Now of course I am used to having such a wicked condition interfere ...
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Are there sources that discuss the proper role of mood-altering substances?
I am curious if there are any sources (halachic or hashkafic) that discuss the use of mood or personality altering substances. From Caffeine or Chamomile tea all the way to psychiatric medication, ...
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What are usual Jewish practices and doctrine for addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco?
I live in a community where about a fourth to half of the population is Jewish and I have many friends here that all seem to have different outlooks about addictive substances. Particularly about ...
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How does halacha treat "psychological damage"? [duplicate]
Is "psychological damage" a notion that is accepted in Jewish law -- that is, the notion that, beyond physical harm, financial cost, loss of income, etc., there is damage to mental health?
...
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Inserting a prayer for someone with a mental illness in refueinu [duplicate]
The Mishna Brurah 116 s.k. 3 rules like the opinion that one may insert a prayer for the recovery of a sick person in the bracha of refaeinu during the Amidah (as opposed to the opinion that one must ...
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How should one inflicted with DID (Dissociative identity disorder) pray? [duplicate]
I know someone with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder - a mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states) and want to try to get her to pray.
But,...
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Taking ADHD medicine on Shabbos (ex: Adderall/ Ritalin)
Following on the heels of recent questions "Why restrict medicine on Shabbos?" & "Is clinical depression medication allowed on Shabbos?"
Is it permitted to take ADHD medicine such as Adderall/ ...
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Is someone who has clinical depression allowed to take an antidepressant on Shabbos?
It’s my understanding that there’s two main categories of non-life threatening illnesses: מיחוש בעלמא, “average pain,” and נפל למשכב, one who is so sick that he’s unable to get out of bed. The former ...
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Healthy consequence of the Akeida?
Are there any comment in the Torah, the Mishna or the Gemara, that a post traumatic syndrome disorder was divinely avoided to both Abraham and Yitzhak in the aftermath and in the long run after the ...
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What are the requirements for divorcing a brain-damaged woman?
What are the requirements of the Beth din for a man to divorce a women who is brain damaged?
If she has parents, can they go with her to the Beth Din to hear what is being said.
Who represents the ...
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Do insane people have free choice?
We know that Hashem gives everyone free choice. But when examining the traits of an insane person, it is clear that someone can be so mentally ill that it is impossible for them to control what they ...
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Regretting a Mitzvah Anxiety
Are there sources for someone who constantly has anxiety about regretting his mitzvot? To better explain this, one who keeps doing mitzvot but has an anxiety that he regrets the mitzvot when he ...
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OCD and Netilat Yadayim
If a person has OCD and tends to ritually wash their hands a thousand times because they feel they didn't do it right and they accidentally touch something wet in the sink after or have the worry they ...
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What does Judaism have to say about ADHD?
I have been diagnosed with AD/HD. I have often struggled in school and social interations. Even relationships have often not been smooth for me. What sources does Judaism have about AD/HD or learning ...
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May someone say the prayer for the ill for someone who is emotionally "ill"?
Lo Aleinu. Let's say someone's friend's teen-age daughter died from a terrible sickness. The parents have been distraught and "disabled" for year because of the emotional trauma. They isolate ...
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Can a bully be forced to pay for psychologist visits?
When Reuven physically damages Shimon, he must pay for, among other things, the physical pain caused by his actions (tza’ar), the embarrassment caused by his actions (boshes), and reimbursement for ...
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Is Scientology Avodah Zarah for Jews?
Scientology, the religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard, has similarities to some forms of Buddhism in that it de-emphasizes the worship (or even acknowledgement of the existence) of any specific gods in ...
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Listening to music during year of aveilut
Is one allowed to listen to music during aveilut after the shloshim for therapeutic porpuses?
Is there any difference between the way ashkenazim and sephardim hold?
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Demon Possession in Judaism
Some religions, particularly Christianity, have a concept in which demons or evil spirits can enter a person's body and take control of them.
Does Judaism have a concept similar or like this? The ...
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The only mitsva is to get better for person in severe psychiatric episode [closed]
Let's say that someone ch''v suffers from a severe psychiatric disorder, which can alter judgment and reality testing, e. g. Schizoaffective disorder (elements of schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder)...
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Abortion on grounds of emotional instability/wellbeing [duplicate]
Is there ever a point of emotional instability beyond which a women may have an abortion?
I know all cases are different but here are some possible examples:
A) she struggles too much with the ...
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is self esteem good or bad?
The penultimate Lubavitch rebbe writes in his principles of education (Chapter 10, starting here),
that to feel down is not good but to feel secure and have a healthy self esteem is not good either.
...
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Prohibition of causing mitzta'er on Yom Tov
I have heard about a Biblical prohibition on causing oneself to suffer during Yom Tov. The example that always comes up for this mitzvah is the permission not to sleep in the sukkah if it causes one ...
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"Gay" people in the Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah?
What do the Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah say about people that "are gay" or have the desire to live that way? I'm not asking if it's a sin. I'm wondering how they "became gay" and how they can change?
(I'...
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Online shiurim on the topic of religious OCD
Would anyone know of any online Shiurim on the topic of religion-related Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
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Where does human consciousness derive from according to kabbalistic teachings?
In the kabbalah there is an extensive writing on how a human's soul derive from different worlds, Nefesh - Assiyah, Ruach - Yetzira etc.
Then we also have the distinction between the G-dly soul and ...
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“The feelings reveal the soul.”(Pieseszner Rebbe). Is this idea accepted by contemporary Orthodox thought?
In “Experiencing the Divine: A Practical Jewish Guide,” by Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira
(the Pieseszner Rebbe), translated by Yaacov Dovid Shulman, the Rebbe says, (p 28):
Every feeling that is ...
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Is it permitted for a male to have a female therapist?
It is forbidden to be secluded with another woman (excluding a woman that it is permitted e.g. wife, mother, grandmother etc.). This is known as yichud.
It is permitted though, provided the area is ...
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Loshon hara to a therapist
Is saying things that would otherwise be considered loshon hara permitted in the context of mental health therapy?
I am not familiar with the details of therapeutic schools, but I understand that ...
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When one is home alone, does the Torah discourage the eating of bizarre food mixtures?
Note: If you're going to be eating a meal soon, you might not want to read this question, and you (especially) might not want to click through to the "Secretive food concocting" Wikipedia article. Why?...
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Is Transcendental Meditation kosher?
Transcendental Meditation is a popular form of meditation that, many practitioners claim, relieves psychological stress. Although it was founded an Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, it is not at all ...
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Naming a baby boy before a deferred bris
The typical practice when a baby boy is born is to refrain from calling him by any name until he is given a name at his bris. In cases where the bris is deferred (e.g. for health reasons) for an ...
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Judaism and dementia
Are there any books/articles that discuss dementia from a Jewish perspective? I am looking for a perspective that include coping with, and relevant hashkafa. The intended audience being not the sick ...
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Mental Telepathy
In Rabbi Immanuel Schochet's introduction to the fundamentals to proving religion. He mentions mental telepathy as a phenomenon that although uncommon does exist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
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Does Judaism adjudicate cases involving mental anguish?
If a non-physical act, such as exposure to viewing something which the current medical field would deem traumatizing, is intentionally perpetrated by one person on another, are there any legal ...
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May a person with a nature of getting angry be a dayan?
I sit in a beis din with a dayan who gets angry very easily. He can't seem to control his anger, causing great anguish to the litigants, and a big chilul Hashem at times. I have been asked to approach ...
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