When people get sick with cancer ל"ע or other physical illnesses, they receive a lot of sympathy, care and help. The entire community goes the extra mile to help such people and their families. Meals are prepared, money is donated, help with the children is offered etc. etc.
מי כעמך ישראל. Nobody like the Jews when it comes to going all out to do chesed.
But there are other types of illnesses which might even be WORSE than physical illnesses and those are mental illness. A LOT MORE people than we know about suffer greatly from mental illness. It is torture. One is imprisoned in a mind that torments him. But often, it is a secret b/c people understandably don't feel comfortable sharing that they or their loved one's suffer from mental illness. Sometimes, people know but just don't consider it such a catastrophe like physical illness, so less help is forthcoming and less interest is showed. It also spooks people out and they don't even know what to say.
Mussar Haskels:
1] Mental illness is extremely common. [We actually all suffer from it to varying degrees...] It is nothing to be ashamed of. It is not the person's fault and no stigma should be attached to it.
2] If you know a family where a person is suffering from mental illness, your interest, care and compassion matter.
And a check doesn't hurt either.
