Q:
If a person is depressed is it worth the expense to consult a psychiatrist because it might help?
A:
Now this is a question that I’m a little wary of answering today because there are frum psychiatrists today and they need a parnassa.
There are today some frum professional Jews who can give good advice. And they’ll speak like bnei Torah have to speak, not like psychiatrists. Only they have the authority. Because you’re going to an office and you pay money, you’ll listen to them more than you’ll listen to somebody who gives advice that’s free. אסיא דמגן במגן מגן שוה – A doctor who heals for nothing is worth nothing (Bava Kama 85a). If you give free advice nobody cares for it. But if you come to somebody and you have to pay a big amount of money, maybe you’ll listen to them. And since they are bnei Torah perhaps they can do something good for you.
But the most important advice comes from Pirkei Avos and Mishlei and Seforim like that, and not from the books on psychology. But if it’s a frum psychiatrist he’ll do a benefit to you that comes from Mesilas Yesharim and Pele Yoetz and other good seforim.
April 1993
