The Jewish Association for the Mentally Ill, established in 1989, is the only Jewish charity concerned exclusively with serious mental illness, and with the devastating impact it has on the lives of sufferers, their families and all who care for them.

Mental illness still remains a taboo subject for many people, yet the most serious conditions - schizophrenia and manic depressive psychosis - are in fact relatively common, with schizophrenia alone estimated to affect nearly 1% of the population.

When illness strikes a young, previously healthy individual, perhaps the worst effect is the way it alters the personality. The individual may even seem to become an entirely different person, loses friends as a result and becomes a stranger to those who used to know and care for them. Thus - as if their suffering was not already enough - their severe affliction becomes compounded by rejection and loneliness.

JAMI was set up by parents, relatives and friends of those suffering from mental illness - those who know perhaps better than anyone else how much damage and anguish these conditions inflict. They are committed to providing help, embodying the culture and values of Jewish society, to sufferers, their carers and families wherever they can.

Funding comes largely from charitable donations, fund raising events and a charity shop, but also includes contributions from Local Authorities.

Contact us:

16a North End Road, London NW11 7PH
Tel 020 8458 2223   Fax 020 0458 1117
e-mail: ruth.jami@btopenworld.com
web: www.mentalhealth-jami.org.uk