TORONTO — Of all the recognition he has received throughout his career, Dr. Paul Garfinkel says the naming of a mental health program in his honour at the Sarah Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem really speaks to him.
Dr. Paul Garfinkel
Canadian Friends of Herzog Hospital-Ezrath Nashim will announce the establishment of the Dr. Paul Garfinkel Mental Health Program for Israel’s Immigrants at a concert featuring Dan Hill and the Frontier Brass Ensemble, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts.
Using the proceeds from the concert, the organization will develop a program to provide psychological counselling geared to the Ethiopian and Russian immigrants in their native languages.
A former president and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Garfinkel is now a staff psychiatrist at CAMH and a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
A researcher, clinician and administrator, he’s the author and editor of nine books on eating disorders.
He said that he is especially honoured with the tribute “because of the nature of the program, and because Herzog is a remarkable facility.”
The story of Israel, he said, is a story of immigration. “Immigrants are the country’s strength and pride.”
However, he said, they do have problems, particularly “with feeling a sense of belonging, and with a loss of status, occupation and language. I know from studies that Ethiopian males have four times the suicide rate as the general population.”
In any society, said Garfinkel, most people don’t get treated for mental illness. “They may be embarrassed to seek help, or they may [consult] someone who either downplays [the symptoms] or makes a misdiagnosis. In developing countries, it is likely that 90 per cent of the people don’t get help for mental health problems.”
Even if immigrants get treatment, he said, it’s often not beneficial because of the language barrier. “This program is addressing that problem. It will provide training for future practitioners and will hopefully do research as well.”
For information on the tribute concert, co-chaired by Dr. Dorothy Pullan and Lena Shugar, call Terry, 416-256-4222.
