(Courtesy of SMGH) “When we wrote the article about the Psychiatry GME program at the Prime Health Care Consortium of St. Mary’s General Hospital & Saint Clare’s Denville Hospital, we received comments and questions from readers basically asking the same question,” said George Matyjewicz, PhD, community liaison. “Sounds like a great program, but what does it do for me? So, we had a conference call with two of the doctors involved with Psych GME—Sarabjit Singh, MD, Corporate Medical Director, Psychiatry and Payam Benson, MD, Director of Medical Education.”

The medical field is going through an aging cycle, which, combined with this past year of COVID-19, has many medical professionals retiring. This means in some areas, there will be a gap in coverage until those positions are filled. In addition, with the Orthodox Jewish communities we have a big learning curve in the medical profession trying to get the professionals to understand our world and our needs and restrictions.

“At this moment, mental health issues have grown faster than there are doctors available to treat patients,” said Dr. Singh. “The Psychiatry Graduate Medical Education (GME) Residency Program will train new doctors to treat patients in the local community. As physicians retire we will have new doctors who have spent four years working with local patients. These physicians can then join St. Mary’s General Hospital or a local practice as psychiatrists and be able to understand the needs of the community and how best to serve patients.”

Today, there is a need for psychiatrists, especially after this year-long COVID lockdown, where depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide. One in five adults experience some form of mental illness each year, and of these patients, many have symptoms so severe their illness dramatically reduces their quality of life, limiting what they can and cannot do.

“With the Psych GME program, not only are the physicians well-educated in the field of psychiatry, but they also know religious Jewish patients,” said Dr. Benson. “For those of us working with Orthodox patients, we know it is not something you learn overnight. Four years of GME in the Passaic-Clifton community will definitely educate these doctors in Orthodox Judaism, which, combined with evidence-based treatments, will be a winning service for local patients.”

People may not understand that patient treatment for mental health issues remains strictly confidential. Not even close family can know that they are being treated or any updates in the patient’s condition unless the patient authorizes release of that information to specific people. So, if you are a single person of marrying age, with no family locally and you are having some symptoms as described herein, don’t fear getting help.

St. Mary’s General will be conducting a series of webinars on different health topics that will be of interest to the New Jersey frum communities. June 3 will be the first in a series entitled: “Coping Through and Beyond the Pandemic.” To register go here: http://www.smh-nj.com/events

Statistics on mental health in the U.S. are mind-boggling: 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year; 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year; 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year; 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24; suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34.¹ And the pandemic is only adding to the mental depression.

Thoughts of giving up and suicide can be frightening and not taking these kinds of thoughts seriously can have devastating outcomes. Suicide is NOT the answer. Think of what it will do to your loved ones—what a traumatic burden they will have to carry. What could they have done to prevent it? If you start thinking about suicide, seek help. Call or text a crisis line or a

trusted friend. Make an appointment with a healthcare professional to talk about what you’re

thinking or how you’re feeling. Suicidal thoughts are a symptom, just like any other—they can be treated, and they can improve over time.

Diagnosing mental illness isn’t a straightforward science. We can’t test for it the same way we can test for COVID-19. Each condition has its own set of unique symptoms, though symptoms often overlap. Common signs and/or symptoms can include feeling incredibly sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks; trying to harm or end one’s life or making plans to do so; severe, out-of-control, risk-taking behavior that causes harm to self or others; sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart, physical discomfort or difficulty breathing; seeing, hearing or believing things that aren’t real; excessive use of alcohol or drugs.

If you notice any of these symptoms in a friend or family member, don’t waste any time—get help immediately.

At St. Mary’s General Hospital and our sister hospital St. Clare Hospital, the psychiatry residency program will educate new psychiatrists. But most importantly, today we can help you with either outpatient or inpatient treatments. And our Psychiatric Medical Care Unit Team² and social workers are available to help provide a smooth continuum of care for patients with special post-discharge needs.

For more information or to refer a patient for admission, please call 973-365-4422.

St. Mary’s General Hospital—nationally recognized, locally preferred—among the top hospitals in America for health, quality, and patient safety! A center of excellence for maternal-child, the hospital has over 550 physicians and 1,200 employees, with every staff member committed to providing respectful, personalized, high-quality care—to satisfy patients’ needs and exceed their expectations. St. Mary’s General is a proud member of Prime Healthcare, which has more Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients for five consecutive years (2016-2020) than any other health system in the country including a “Top 15 Healthcare System” by Truven Health Analytics. To learn more about St. Mary’s General Hospital visit https://www.smh-nj.com/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StMarysGeneral.

For more information, please contact George Matyjewicz, PhD, Community Liaison at [email protected]

1 National Alliance on Mental Illness  https://www.nami.org/mhstats

2 https://www.smh-nj.com/our-services/psychiatric-medical-care-unit/ or https://www.smh-nj.com/our-services/mental-behavioral-health/