The Department of Defense’s Rehabilitation Division will be ready to accept approximately 8,000 security forces members who faced mental health issues while on duty by the end of the year, the department announced Wednesday.
This comes after the Ministry of Defense said in a private briefing that nearly 30% of the more than 7,000 IDF soldiers injured in the war to date have suffered psychological damage. . 60% of them indicated that the war caused mainly psychological damage.
In fact, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common mental health problems that arise as a result of conflicts and wars, such as the one Israel has been fighting since October 7th.
Rates of PTSD are on the rise
Survivors of the Nova Festival spoke at a Knesset debate on Tuesday about the mental illness of those who escaped the Oct. 7 rave alive but who have been left suffering with incomparable scars ever since. He spoke about the lack of treatment for patients.
Remarkably, the country promises more than it can provide for psychological and psychiatric treatment in general, and for those traumatized by war in particular.
During the discussion, survivors spoke of their daily struggles after the massacre. One of them, Nama Eitan, said: “If it wasn’t for the psychologist, I wouldn’t be here. I have a friend who hasn’t gotten out of bed yet and hasn’t received a reply. [from the state’s mental health services]”
Discussing the sensitive issue of suicide rates among Nova survivors, the Ministry of Health reiterated that it cannot confirm how many survivors have taken their own lives (some estimates say more than 50 have taken their own lives). Survivors who spoke at the debate appealed for support.
A recent roundtable discussion between several researchers in the health care field, since Oct. 7, revealed that not only medical, mental health, education, and human services professionals, but also first responders and rescue workers need help. It turns out that people are having great difficulty asking people for help. Many of them suffer from fatigue, apathy, burnout, stress, and pain.
In other words, those who support trauma patients are themselves traumatized.
If that wasn’t enough, last Sunday the Israeli Institute for the Protection of Children (ELI) announced a 30% increase in requests for assistance for physical, sexual and psychological abuse, including for victims of war.
ELI provided therapeutic support to more than 2,000 survivors and evacuees in 2023, including complex trauma relief to 12,090 people.
A few days ago, ERAN, another volunteer aid organization focused on emotional first aid, announced that since October 7, it has been receiving calls and online requests for help from people suffering from anxiety, stress and psychological trauma. 172,000 requests were received.
On October 7 alone, ERAN received more than 3,500 calls, compared to around 500 calls on a typical day, with extremely high levels of distress.
As the war progressed, distress calls from men and women in the regular army and reserves increased.
soldiers experience war-related suffering
A survey by Maccabi Healthcare Services released earlier this month found that one-third of war evacuees reported poor health, and the use of medications to treat depression and anxiety decreased by 35%. It was found that there was an increase of %.
Israel already suffered from a severe lack of access to psychological support before the war. On average, he waited two months to see a psychologist. The war has only exacerbated the problem and highlighted how desperately this aspect needs to change.
Currently, the state is unable to provide psychological support to its citizens. Israel’s mental health crisis is not imminent, so now is not the time to think proactively about it. here it is. It’s time to fix what can be fixed before it’s too late.
The immediate future of Israelis, especially the younger generation, depends on the state providing adequate funding for greater support and accessibility.
If we don’t act quickly, further tragedies could befall our country, but only because the government has cut corners on mental health support.
