Special Issues in the Care of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Psychiatric In-Patients

• Published in: Transcultural psychiatry Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 647 - 672
• Main Author: Popovsky, Rabbi Mark A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.09.2010; Sage Publications
• Subjects: Chaplains; Cognitive problems, arts and sciences, folk traditions, folklore; Countertransference (Psychology); Cross-Cultural Comparison; Culture; Defense Mechanisms; Ethnology; Ethnopsychiatry. Ethnopsychoanalysis. Ethnopsychology; Hospitalization; Humans; Judaism - psychology; Life Style; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mental health professionals; Mental health services; Mentally ill people; Misdiagnosis; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Compliance - psychology; Physician-Patient Relations; Psychotherapy; Psychotropic Drugs - therapeutic use; Religion; Religion and Medicine; Rituals; Social Values; Traditional sciences and medicine; Israel; Near East; North America; United States of America; Orthodox Jews; cultural competency; Judaism; Competence; Patient; Cross-cultural psychiatry; Jew; Culture; Orthodoxy
• ISSN: 1363-4615; 1461-7471
• DOI: 10.1177/1363461510383747

This article reviews the literature regarding psychiatric care of ultra-orthodox Jewish patients. The discussion describes common areas of difficulty working with members of this population in an in-patient setting, including ritual observance, gender dynamics, and countertransference. It provides guidelines for mental health professionals to distinguish between culturally-appropriate and pathological behavior in an effort to avoid misdiagnosis, and offers strategies for overcoming these challenges. It suggests possible adjustments to standard treatment plans which may prove effective in this population and recommends further resources, including the involvement of trained chaplains, for especially complicated situations.