Description

Mental illness affects millions of Americans; in fact, 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness annually while 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a serious mental health disorder each year. Despite the widespread prevalence of mental illness, many people are still unable to access care, with an average delay of 11 years between the onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment. We are working to ensure our society recognizes that mental health is an essential component of overall well-being, and to urge our government ensures that all people have access to mental health care. 

 

What's New

Why WRJ Took a Week-Long Break

From August 12-16, WRJ was proud to be one of the pilot grantees to participate in BREAKWEEK. Funded by R&R: The Rest of our Lives, BREAKWEEK was “an opportunity for US-based Jewish nonprofit organizations to experiment with a powerful talent intervention—a 1-week org-wide break—in a structured

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and it is important to recognize the stigmas against mental health and suicide still remain in our society. To me, it is vital we keep talking about mental health and ways to take care of yourself and others. I’d like to share my story and a few resources with you all. Having lost someone, I love to suicide; I am a survivor. Suicide is complicated. Everyone handles suicide loss differently. It’s common to get angry, or regretful. It’s normal to wonder what we could have done to “save” the person. And while I don’t blame myself, I do feel shame sometimes, knowing my uncle was struggling. I even thought he might end his life, and yet I didn’t reach out. I know the choice was his. Nevertheless, the guilt creeps in sometimes.

How My Mental Health Journey Helped Me Connect to Judaism

Because of what I now lovingly refer to as “the lasagna sermon,” I’ve felt empowered to be open about my mental illness. Physical and mental illness are equally deserving of healing, and we need to make it safer for people dealing with mental illness to come out from behind the shadows, the silence, and the shame and find the support and care they need. Every time I share my story, countless people reach out to me with a desire to share their own. I believe that if we can all strive to be open about our human vulnerabilities, then maybe one day, we will reach a point where no one will feel like they have to hide their lived experiences from their respective communities.