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in
the

sponsored
by our
community
partners

PLEDGES FROM REFUAT
HANEFESH USERS

‘Healing
the Soul’

teen

mental health

Saving lives, one click at a time.

ALLISON JACOBS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hen someone asks how you’re
doing, it is not always easy to
respond with a truthful answer.
Replying “I’m not well” or “I’m feeling
depressed” can be challenging for many
of us.
Across various cultures and commu-
nities, discussing mental illness can be
tricky, despite that one
in five people in America
experiences a mental
illness. Even so, people
often feel alone.
Dr. Ariel Mintz, a
Minneapolis-born psychi-
atrist, has always excelled
at helping others, espe-
Dr. Ariel Mintz

cially within the Jewish community.
Growing up as the middle child of five, he
became an adept listener at an early age.
As a young adult, he chose to put these
skills to the test at Yeshiva University in
New York, where he received a bachelor of
arts in psychology.
During medical school at the Oakland
University William Beaumont School of
Medicine, he began noticing a high volume
of Jewish patients struggling with mental
illness during his psychiatry rotation.
“I was shocked by how many Jews were
on the psychiatric ward — I had never
before met or even heard of a Jew with a
serious mental illness,” Mintz says. He also
noticed Jewish patients were often hos-

continued on page 22

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March 22 • 2018

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• I pledge to help those I can;
spread the word about mental
illness in all its manifestations;
and pray for a welcoming,
supportive and open community.
• I have pledged to be far less
judgmental of the people around
me. You never know what they are
going through. This has allowed
me to experience the world
through an increasingly positive
lens.
• I pledge to share about my mental
illness and, in sharing, educate
and enlighten people that people
with mental illness can and do
live productive and valuable lives.
That they are not all violent and
dangerous. I have shared with a
lot of people.
• I pledge to listen. I pledge to
avoid indifference. I pledge
to show people I care and I
have compassion. I have more
compassion every day for those
who fight substance addiction
— an addiction I never could
understand. It is not my place to
judge anyone.
• I take the Refuat Hanefesh pledge
to keep an open mind and to
never judge, as anybody could be
battling mental illness. Moreover,
I pledge to be open about my
day-to-day and large-picture
challenges and support others in
their mental health journey.