Save "Mental Health In Judaism 
"
Mental Health In Judaism
(ח) וַיִּירָ֧א יַעֲקֹ֛ב מְאֹ֖ד וַיֵּ֣צֶר ל֑וֹ וַיַּ֜חַץ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ וְאֶת־הַצֹּ֧אן וְאֶת־הַבָּקָ֛ר וְהַגְּמַלִּ֖ים לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃
(8) Jacob was greatly frightened; in his anxiety, he divided the people with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps,
(ג) וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לָהֶ֛ם הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ חֲל֣וֹם חָלָ֑מְתִּי וַתִּפָּ֣עֶם רוּחִ֔י לָדַ֖עַת אֶֽת־הַחֲלֽוֹם׃
(3) and the king said to them, “I have had a dream and I am full of anxiety to know what I have dreamed.”
(כה) דְּאָגָ֣ה בְלֶב־אִ֣ישׁ יַשְׁחֶ֑נָּה וְדָבָ֖ר ט֣וֹב יְשַׂמְּחֶֽנָּה׃
(25) If there is anxiety in a man’s mind let him quash it,
And turn it into joy with a good word.
״דְּאָגָה בְלֶב אִישׁ יַשְׁחֶנָּה״, רַבִּי אַמֵּי וְרַבִּי אַסִּי, חַד אָמַר: יַשִּׂחֶנָּה מִדַּעְתּוֹ, וְחַד אָמַר: יְשִׂיחֶנָּה לַאֲחֵרִים.
§ The Gemara explains another verse in Proverbs: “If there is care in a man’s heart, let him quash it [yashḥena]” (Proverbs 12:25). Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi dispute the verse’s meaning. One said: He should forcefully push it [yasḥena] out of his mind. One who worries should banish his concerns from his thoughts. And one said: It means he should tell [yesiḥena] others his concerns, which will lower his anxiety.
(א) דאגה בלב איש ישחנה. ישיחנה מדעתו: (ב) ודבר טוב ישמחנה. יעסוק בתורה והיא תשמח את הדאגה שבלבו ותצילנו ממנה, ולדברי האומר ישיחנה לאחרים כך סופו של מקרא ודבר טוב שינחמנו חבירו ישמח את הדאגה:
(1) If there is concern in a man’s heart, let him cast it down Let him divert his attention from it. (2) and a good word will make it cheerful Let him engage in the Torah which will cause the concern in his heart to rejoice and save him therefrom. And according to the one who says, “he should tell it to others,” this is [the meaning of] the end of the verse: And a good word with which his friend consoles him will cause the concern to rejoice.

Rabbi Saks Morality pg 39- The obvious thing. Self, surley, is where it begins, not where it ends. It's the problem not the solution.... Help, I have found time and time again, comes not from the self, but from others

Rabbi Saks Morality pg 43- The same is true about the best leaders in many fields. There is usually someone empowered to whisper in their ear and say No.... A leader's strength are his or her own, but it takes someone else to protect them from their weakness. Self-help is often no help at all.

Rabbi Saks Morality pg 44- to give his fellow prisoners the strength to survive, Frankl needed to take them outside themselves

What do you really want by Shayna Goldberg- pg 62

I can appreciate that there were two fears that stopped me from pursuing therapy. The first was related to my self perception: "I am strong.... Why can't I just get over this by myself? Why am I turning it into a bigger deal than it has to be?" The other fear was that it would have to be a wasted investement.... After much procrastination, I overcame these fears and got the help that was necessary to process what had happened and move on

Rabbi Saks Morality pg 48- Morality is precisely un-self-help... sometimes experiencing the miracle that just as you are about to give up and go under for the last time, a hand reaches out and pulls you to saftey and they rest of your life becomes a gift for which you thank God every day.

(א) חמשה כחות כלליים שצריכים להיות מושגחים שיהיו שלמים בחיי הכלל והפרט, ואז ימצא בהם הכח המתאים להרחקת כל פגע ולהפרחת החיים בדרך נכונה. הא׳ בריאות הגוף והנפש בתור בעל חיים שלם ועלז בחיים....

(1) There are five general forces that need to be tended to so that they should be whole in the life of the collective and the individual. Then, appropriate force will be found in them to keep all damage at a distance to enhance life in the appropriate way. The first is physical and mental health leading to a full and joyous embracing of life...

(ה) ולדעת המקילים, גם כשאין חשש שמחלת הנפש תוביל להתאבדות, אם ההיריון יגרום לסבל נפשי גדול מאוד, מותר להפיל. למעשה, בכל שאלה מסוג זה, צריך לשאול תחילה פסיכיאטר ירא שמיים, ועל פי הערכתו לפנות לשאלת חכם.

(5) According to the more permissive approach, abortion can be allowed if the pregnancy would cause tremendous emotional anguish, even if there is no concern that it will lead to suicide. In practice, every question of this sort requires a couple first to consult with a God-fearing mental health professional and then to ask a wise person based on the assessment obtained.

(ד) לעיתים ההיריון עלול לגרום לאשה לחלות במחלת נפש. במקרה כזה הורו כמה פוסקים, שגם לשיטת המחמירים מותר להפיל, כי מחלת נפש בכלל סכנת נפשות, כי היא עלולה לגרום לה לאבד את עצמה (לבושי מרדכי חו"מ לט; רשז"א). בדור האחרון פותחו תרופות טובות לחלק ממחלות הנפש, וכאשר יש חוות דעת של פסיכיאטר לפיה ישנן תרופות שיכולות למנוע את הסכנה, אין היתר (נשמת אברהם חו"מ תכה, 12).

(4) Sometimes pregnancy can jeopardize the mother’s mental health. In such a case, some poskim rule that even those who adopt the restrictive approach would permit abortion, since mental illness can be life-threatening and cause one to become suicidal (Levushei Mordechai, ḤM §39; R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach). Recently, effective medications have been developed to treat many psychiatric disorders. Therefore, if a psychiatrist says that the mother can be medicated so that she will not become suicidal, she may not abort (Nishmat Avraham, ḤM 425, n. 12).

HaRav Asher Weiss, Responsa Minchat Asher 134 (Certain excerpts)

A student who is devout and G-d fearing suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and for the most part is unable to say a bracha or shema according to halacha, and sometimes spends a lot of time trying to say G-d's name properly to no avail, and experiences a lot of anguish. According to the doctors who are experts in this [condition] the treatment is to never go back in prayer, and if he does not feel he said the prayer properly, he should not make another try [Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ExRP), a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)]. In this way, the doctors hope to save him from his distress.