A comparative study of mental health diagnoses, symptoms, treatment, and medication use among Orthodox Jews

Historical clinical reports and media narratives suggest that Orthodox Jews are reticent to seek treatment for mental illness, present only with serious concerns, and hesitate to comply with treatment in general and psychopharmacology in particular. On the other hand, recent developments, and some limited research, suggest that Orthodox Jews may be likely to seek and comply with treatment. The current study compared the diagnostic, symptomatic, and treatment characteristics of 191 Orthodox Jews and 154 control patients all presenting to a large private mental health clinic with offices throughout greater New York. Results indicated that the groups were largely demographically similar, and that their diagnoses did not significantly differ. Orthodox Jews initially presented with lower levels of symptoms, terminated with similar symptom levels, attended a similar number of sessions, and were equally likely to use psychopharmacological interventions of similar types, compared to controls. This was equally true of ultra-Orthodox and modern Orthodox Jews. Clinicians providing mental health services to Orthodox Jews should be aware of these findings, which contrast with existing clinical and popular stereotypes. Further, excessive efforts to protect Orthodox Jewish patients against stigma may be unnecessary and counterproductive.

The Perception of Minorities toward the Turkish State: The Case of Ethno-religious Communities

The relationship between state and non-Muslim communities has been a delicate issue since the founding of the Turkish Republic despite the principle of secularism stated in its constitution. Against this background, the association of national identity with Sunni-Islam has been the main marker of inclusion/exclusion to the national identity. Especially since 2002 when the Justice and Development Party (JDP) came to power, the debates with regard to freedom of religion and the rights of religious minorities came to fore. Over the course of decades there have been numerous studies approaching the state’s perspective towards religious minorities. However, there are still scarce amount of academic studies that focuses on citizenship experiences of the members of these communities in their daily and social life practices. In this article, we first provide a historical perspective of the state towards religious minorities from the establishment of the Republic until today including the JDP period. In the second part of this study we aim to explore recasting perspectives of the non-Muslim minorities over the previous decade by taking the standpoint of the members of Greek Orthodox, Jews and Armenian communities. To this end, we conduct in-depth interviews with the members of these communities who are residing in Istanbul. Finally, new negotiation fields which have been flourishing among these communities will be addressed.

Elapsed time since BNT162b2 vaccine and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection: test negative design study

Objectives To determine whether time elapsed since the second injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine was significantly associated with the risk of covid-19 infection after vaccination in people who received two vaccine injections. Design Test negative design study. Setting Electronic health records of a large state mandated healthcare organisation, Israel. Participants Adults aged ≥18 years who had received a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test between 15 May 2021 and 17 September 2021, at least three weeks after their second vaccine injection, had not received a third vaccine injection, and had no history of covid-19 infection. Main outcome measures Positive result for the RT-PCR test. Individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and controls were matched for week of testing, age category, and demographic group (ultra-orthodox Jews, individuals of Arab ancestry, and the general population). Conditional logistic regression was adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and comorbid conditions. Results 83 057 adults received an RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 during the study period and 9.6% had a positive result. Time elapsed since the vaccine injection was significantly longer in individuals who tested positive (P<0.001). Adjusted odds ratio for infection at time intervals >90 days since vaccination were significantly increased compared with the reference of <90 days: 2.37 (95% confidence interval 1.67 to 3.36) for 90-119 days, 2.66 (1.94 to 3.66) for 120-149 days, 2.82 (2.07 to 3.84) for 150-179 days, and 2.82 (2.07 to 3.85) for ≥180 days (P<0.001 for each 30 day interval). Conclusions In this large population of adults tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR after two doses of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine, a gradual increase in the risk of infection was seen for individuals who received their second vaccine dose after at least 90 days.

Cardiac and Other Presentation and Clinical Outcomes of COVID-19 Pandemic among Different Ethnic and Religious Populations in The City of Jerusalem

Background: The COVID‑19 pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic. Jerusalem with its 919,400 inhabitants has a wide variety of populations, of which 62% are Jews (36% ultra-orthodox; 64% non-ultraorthodox) and 38% Arabs which were largely affected by the pandemic. The aim of our study was to understand the different presentations, course and clinical outcomes in these different ethnical and cultural groups in Jerusalem in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We performed a cohort study of all COVID-19 patients admitted between March 9 - July 16, 2020 to the two university medical centers in Jerusalem. Patients were divided according to their religion and ethnicity into 3 main groups: 1) Ultra-Orthodox Jews; 2) other (non-Ultra-Orthodox) Jews and 3) Arabs. Results: Six hundred and two patients comprised the study population. Of them the 361 (60%) were Ultra-Orthodox Jews; 166 (27.5%) non-Ultra-Orthodox Jews and 75 (12.5%) Arabs. The Arab patients were younger than the Ultra-Orthodox Jews and the non-Ultra-Orthodox Jews (51±18 year-old vs. 57±21 and 59±19, respectively, p<0.01), but suffered from significantly more co-morbidities. Moreover, hemodynamic shock, ischemic ECG changes and pathological chest x-ray were all more frequent in the Ultra-Orthodox patients as compared the other groups of patients. Being an Ultra-Orthodox was independently associated with significantly higher rate of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) [OR=1.96; 95% CI (1.03-3.71), p<0.05]. Age was the only independent risk factor associated with increased mortality rate [OR=1.10; 95% CI (1.07 - 1.13), p<0.001]. Conclusions: The COVID-19 first phase in Jerusalem, affected different ethnical and cultural groups differently, with the Ultra-Orthodox Jews mostly affected by admission rates, presenting symptoms clinical course and MACE (Acute coronary syndrome, shock, cerebrovascular event or venous thromboembolism). It is conceivable that vulnerable populations need special attention and health planning in time of pandemic, to prevent rapid distribution and severe morbidity.

Pediatric burns unique characteristics among Ultra-Orthodox Jewish minority - retrospective study

Background and Objectives Burn injuries are a significant cause of morbidity among children. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children are at higher risk for burn injuries. The goal of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics of moderate to severe burns in this population in comparison to the general population in Israel. Methods This retrospective cohort study included all pediatric patients 0-18 years of age admitted with burn injuries from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2018. Data was collected regarding demography, etiology and clinical characteristics. Results Of 778 burns injuries presented to our tertiary center, 385 (49.5%) were hospitalized. Of those 212 (55%) were non-Ultra-Orthodox Jews, 135 (35%) were Ultra-Orthodox Jews, and 38 (10%) were non-Jewish patients. The Total Body Surface Area percentage (TBSA%) of scald-type burns was larger in Ultra-Orthodox compared to non-Ultra-Orthodox children (median TBSA% of 7% Vs 5% respectively(p&lt;0.05)). Among the Ultra-Orthodox group, the median TBSA percentage during weekdays was 6%, and for weekends the TBSA% was 7.5% (p&lt;0.05). Females demonstrated the greatest diversity between subgroups. On weekends, Ultra-Orthodox female’s median TBSA% was 10%, and non-Ultra-Orthodox female’s TBSA% was 4.5% (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions Ultra-Orthodox children and especially girls had a significantly higher median TBSA% than non-Ultra-Orthodox children for burns occurring during weekends. This may be the result of the unique cultural norms of the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, in particular, their lifestyle and observation of the Sabbath. These findings provide focus for better intervention and prevention of pediatric burns among this unique population.

Tradition as a Homeland to Return to: Transnational Religious Identity of the Post-Soviet Orthodox Jewry

This article highlights the outcome of a long-term field research into the transnational identity of the post-Soviet Orthodox Jewry. It analyzes biographical interviews taken between 2015 and 2018 in St. Petersburg and Minsk to define the religious identity and day-to-day practices of post-Soviet Orthodox Jews. In this article, I argue that the modern post-Soviet Jewry is a new socio-cultural phenomenon with no historical prototypes. As to the research methodology, it was a combination of the transnational approach, random choice case-study targeting post-Soviet Orthodox communities of Orthodox Jewry in large cities, and the biographical method. The backbone of the post-Soviet Orthodox communities of different strains of Judaism was formed in 1990–2008. It is made up of three generations of men and women born in the late 1940s–1960s, mid-1960s–early 1970s, and the 1980s. Each of these generations is characterized by its own unique pattern of observance, the formation of which is directly conditioned by the circumstances of involvement in religious Jewry. The transnational pattern of observance of the Post-Soviet Orthodox Jews involves the model they confronted at the very beginning of their journey, the model they learned in overseas educational institutions or through incoming envoys and rabbis in the country of residence, and the model of balance between the required and possible in the modern post-Christian and post-atheist environment.

Judaism

Judaism was the first monotheist religion and has about 18 million adherents in the world today. This review covers the historical development of biblical Israelite religion in the ancient land of Israel beginning 1000 BCE and how it gradually developed into the very different rabbinical Judaism that exists today. While most Jews today are secular participants in Western democratic liberal cultures, Orthodox, and especially ultra-orthodox Jews are a rapidly growing minority with special needs for culturally sensitive psychiatry acceptable to their religious lifestyle and observance to the commandments. The traditional Jewish beliefs in a future Messiah is also a component of some manic states and the differential diagnosis between ‘religiosity’ and mental illness can be important in psychiatric settings with orthodox Jewish patients.