In honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness month, I thought I would do a quick review of some things you must know when you have an Alzheimer’s (or person with dementia ) in your life. 1. Advice Only people who don’t actually have a person with dementia in their life should consult all those sites for “caregivers” […]
Ask Aviva #22: Why isn’t my therapy subsidized through my kupah?
Dear Aviva, I’ve read what you published about getting subsidized therapy through the kupah, but my therapist doesn’t seem to be doing that. Can you tell me why? Sincerely, Confused in Keshet Dear Confused, So glad you’ve been reading my posts in honor of mental health month. As of 2017, you are correct, the […]
Navigating Mental Health with your Teen [Mental Health Awareness Series#4]
I have teenagers. I get it. No one tells them, anything, ever, because they know it, all. Cue eye roll, sigh, sad shake of the head; isn’t mom dumb? But the funny thing is that we are still their case managers, their guides, the prime decision maker when it comes to their health, and mental […]
Navigating Mental Health in the Elderly [Mental Health Awareness Series #3]
Apparently, doctoring octogenarians is pretty unpopular in the medical community. That means that there are very few medical experts in the field who specialize in the unique healthcare of those over 70. How do I know this? In addition to spending my free time reading medical literature, I happen to be coordinating a study for […]
Navigating Mental Health in Young Children [Mental Health Awareness Series #2]
A few weeks ago, I posted an Ask Aviva question about getting permission for a certain medication for a nine-year-old child with bipolar disorder. My answer addressed how to get permission, but one reader was shocked that a nine year old had been diagnosed with bi-polar. “Get a second opinion!” this reader advised, their underlying implication […]
PPD: What Does It Mean? And How Do You Diagnose It? [Mental Health Awareness Series #1]
The other day I met a woman who inspired me. She was a Haredi (ultra-orthodox) woman in her 40’s who had two children. As this is surprising in the religious community, I wondered if this was by choice or she had fertility challenges. It turns out that she had suffered such severe post-partum depression that […]
Ask Aviva #17: Why didn’t the doctor tell me how to get the medicine?!
Dear Aviva, My daughter is 9 years old and takes a special medication for her bipolar disorder. The psychiatrist recommended this medication and even checked that it was distributed in Israel. But when I went to the pharmacy with the prescription, they told me that they couldn’t sell it to me because I didn’t have […]
Suicide in Israel: which resources are available to me?
When I was in fourth grade, I rode to school every day with four other children. All five families paid a lady driver to take us to school since all the parents worked and there was no school bus from our neighborhood. One of my fellow passengers, Josh, was a quirky, pale, boy in the […]
How I Lost My Mother
My mother managed to disappear in the five seconds it took for my father to go into the closet to get the dog food. She’d been resting, and he thought she was asleep. Just like in those cartoons when one character sneaks out behind the back of the other, she was gone. Out the door […]
Are you suffering in silence?
This past week there’s been a great deal of discussion about the tragedy in Jerusalem, the young woman who took the lives of her four children and herself. The youngest was 11 months old. Apparently, the woman had contacted Ministry of Welfare employees to ask for help. As the term PPD, post-partum depression, has been […]
