Studies in mental illness and other psychiatric deviances among contemporary Jewry: a review of the literature.

This paper reviews selected research on mental disorders which include Jewish subjects from large scale epidemiological surveys to clinical studies and psychoanalytical studies conducted up to the late 1980's. These studies were primarily conducted in the United States, which has the largest Jewish population in the world, and in the State of Israel. In view of the fact that Jews are a heterogeneous group the findings have not always been consistent, however, certain trends have been observed. Jews were found to undergo more psychotherapy than any other group. While the prevalence rate of schizophrenia seems to be lower, neurosis seems to be higher than among non-Jews. Because Jews tend to internalize aggression, they are less likely to be paranoid. There is some evidence that the Jews' strong attachment to their ethnic group and family solidarity seem to have a positive effect on their mental health. When Jewish alcoholics, drug addicts and criminals were studied, it was found that they had psychiatric problems. The author concludes that more effort should be devoted to the study of the psychopathology of the Jewish population around the world.