Seventy to eighty percent of mothers experience the “baby blues,” but a staggering one in seven go on to develop postpartum depression—making it the most common complication of childbirth. The perinatal period—from the start of pregnancy through the first year after childbirth—can be a time of great excitement and joy, but for many, it is also marked by mental health challenges. In frum communities, where we place a strong value on having children and have high birth rates, awareness of perinatal mood disorders is especially important. Postpartum depression is a form of clinical depression that occurs after giving birth, typically within the first few weeks or months, but can last for quite a while if untreated.

Anxiety disorders are on the rise. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately one-third of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. It is the most common mental health concern. While the exact cause of this increase is not conclusive, many researchers believe it’s connected to the rise in social media and technology use, increased social comparisons, weakened meaningful relationships, and poor sleep patterns. Research on anxiety within the frum community is limited, but it’s clear that we’re not immune to these trends. Let’s differentiate between common anxiety and anxiety disorders — and explore how even those with strong emunah can be affected.

As left-wing media outlets claim that numerous Israelis have left the country in recent years, first due to the so-called threat of a “judicial revolution” and then the very real threat of Israel’s bloodthirsty enemies post-October 7, hundreds of doctors have made aliyah over the past year. The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, in collaboration with the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization, the Jewish Agency, and the Ministry of the Negev, Galil, and National Resilience, held a conference on Tuesday for doctors who made aliyah in the past year from various countries.

Israel’s Health Ministry announced on Wednesday morning that a 17-year-old resident of Jerusalem who was not vaccinated against polio has been diagnosed with the serious virus. The diagnosis was confirmed in the Health Ministry’s laboratory. The statement said that the “Health Ministry’s Jerusalem district is continuing to carry out an epidemiological investigation to identify contacts and refer them for vaccination against polio if they are unvaccinated.” “The main way to protect children from paralysis is through the inactivated polio vaccine,” the ministry stressed.

A quarter of the hostages released from captivity in the Gaza Strip suffer from Stockholm syndrome, Kan News reported last week. Stockholm syndrome is manifested by the victim’s identification with their captors as a survival mechanism and even in the development of positive feelings towards them. The data is from a study conducted by Prof. Gil Zaltzman, the director of the Geha Mental Health Center in Petach Tikvah and chairman of the Health Ministry’s suicide prevention program. The researchers analyzed the medical data of 102 released hostages and presented their conclusions at a conference of the Israel National Institute For Health Policy Research regarding the treatment of additional released hostages in the future. According to Prof.

A recent study of the Israel-Lebanon war’s impact on children and teens found that most have developed significant emotional challenges, made worse by a lack of proper adult guidance, Ynet reported. Noam (not his real name), a father of three and a mental health professional from northern Israel, described the war’s impact on his children. “Our oldest acts as if everything is normal, but she’s extremely tense and grappling with deep fears. Our middle child suffers from severe anxiety – at night, she curls up silently and cries, as if she wants to disappear. She’s terrified to be alone, even at home. Meanwhile, our youngest runs to the safe room at the slightest sound.” “It’s a roller coaster. The root of the problem lies in the system’s inability to handle the situation.

Over 100 Israelis flocked to emergency rooms at several hospitals in northern Israel overnight Wednesday due to fears of having contracted the rare brain-eating amoeba [Naegleria fowleri] in the Kinneret. Panic spread on Wednesday after the Health Ministry stated that a ten-year-old boy who is critically ill with the brain-eating amoeba likely contracted the infection at a water park at Gai Beach in Tiveria. The boy, who is currently sedated and ventilated in the PICU at Ziv Hospital, was at the water park three weeks ago. Shortly beforehand, a 25-year-old man who was at the same water park died only days after being diagnosed with encephalitis caused by the brain-eating amoeba.

A five-week-old infant from the Jerusalem area whose mother refused to get vaccinated for whooping cough during pregnancy died of the disease about a week ago. Two days later, a seven-year-old girl from Netanya, whose parents refused to vaccinate her against tetanus, was hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit at Laniado Hospital after contracting the serious and excruciatingly painful disease. Ynet reported that the lowest vaccination rates against whooping cough are found almost exclusively in Jerusalem and in religious and Chareidi communities outside the capital. The report quoted Dr. Maurit Beeri, a pediatrician and the director of ALYN Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and Youth, who slammed parents who neglect their children by refusing to vaccinate them.

An outbreak of West Nile fever in central Israel has led to four deaths and a suspected fifth death that is under a Health Ministry investigation. In the past month, 48 people were diagnosed with the disease of whom 36 were hospitalized and five ventilated. All the patients are from central Israel. West Nile fever is an infection by the West Nile virus, which is spread by mosquitoes. In about 80% of infections, people have few or no symptoms but about 20% of people develop flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, vomiting, or a rash. In less than 1% of people, mainly older people or those with health issues, the neurological system is affected and severe disease results with symptoms similar to those seen in meningitis or acute encephalitis.

Officials in central Oregon this week reported a case of bubonic plague in a resident who likely got the disease from a sick pet cat. The infected resident and the resident’s close contacts have all been provided medication, public health officials say, and people in the community are not believed to be at risk. The […]