Medical and Spiritual Hishtadlus for Mental Health

Question

We wrote a few months ago about our daughter, who is in the psychiatric ward of a hospital in Yerushalayim with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Boruch Hashem, she was given a drug called Leponex, and there was significant improvement and she was released from the hospital. However, the drug has a side effect in that it can lower the white blood cell count, which is dangerous, and the medication had to be stopped. As a result, the symptoms have returned and we are at a great loss as to what to do.

There is a very well-known psychiatrist in Yerushalayim who used to be the head of a psychiatric hospital and now sees patients privately, and he is supposed to be excellent, but he charges six hundred dollars for one appointment. I am learning in kollel and it is very difficult for me financially, but I definitely want to see my daughter get better. My question is whether my chiyuv hishtadlus obligates me to spend this amount of money.

I have learned from this whole incident that my daughter’s health is not in our hands and not in her hands. Since it is clear to me that my daughter’s recovery is in Hashem’s hands, I would like to know if there is any specific spiritual hishtadlus that I should do in the interim in order to help my daughter get better.

Furthermore, there is a good chance that my daughter will need to be hospitalized indefinitely, and my aishes chayil is burned out from being in the hospital. If this is the case, then I will need to be there for the whole Shabbos. Since there are minyanim on Shabbos in the hospital, I would like to know if I should go to all the tefillos on Shabbos or if it is better to spend the time with my daughter.

Thank you.

Rav Sternbuch 

The Chazon Ish told me that when it comes to health, our obligation to do hishtadlus is to use the best possible doctor. This is especially true in a field such as psychiatry, and especially in your case of schizophrenia, which can lead to pikuach nefesh.

Rav Zafrani 

I am sorry to hear that your daughter is suffering so much from this terrible ailment. I give her a brocha with all my heart that she should recover quickly.

As far as your questions are concerned, I am in full agreement with Rav Sternbuch that when it comes to hishtadlus for health, one must make the best possible hishtadlus and not think about money when it comes to issues that involve pikuach nefesh. Hashem will certainly send you back any money that you spend in this critical area.

As far as the tefillos are concerned, even though tefillah b’tzibbur is a very great mitzvah, and the Vilna Gaon writes that a tefillah that is said without a minyan is a barren tefillah, nonetheless, your primary obligation right now is to your daughter. You should play things by ear, and if, for example, you can wake up early and daven neitz before your daughter wakes up, that would be best. Otherwise, as long as your daughter needs your emotional support, you are exempt from davening with a minyan and Hashem will view it as if you davened with a minyan.

As far as your question regarding what you can do as a zechus for your daughter to get better, Chazal teach us (Brachos 5a) that if yissurim come upon a person, he should examine his ways and do teshuvah. If you do not find anything specific to work on, then the Gemara says that one should assume that the yissurim are coming as a result of bittul Torah and be more careful with his Torah study.

I would also suggest that since Hashem deals with us middah keneged middah, measure for measure, if you are in the hospital ward and you can strengthen the other patients and families there, this will certainly be considered a major zechus for your daughter.

May Hashem have mercy on you and on all those who are suffering from psychological or other illnesses, and bring them all a refuah sheleimah quickly.