Rising Cases of Psychological Trauma among Reservists: How Israel’s Military is Tackling the Issue

Since the start of the war, more than 7,200 injured military and security personnel have turned to the rehabilitation department of the Ministry of Defense for help. Over 95% of these victims are reservists under the age of 30. Of these, approximately 30% have developed psychological problems such as difficulty sleeping, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The head of the rehabilitation department, Limor Lurie, predicts that by the end of the year, there will be a significant increase in new cases in her department. She estimates that around 8,000 individuals will require psychological or emotional assistance. In response to this growing demand for help, the department’s budget has been increased by a substantial amount – from 5.4 billion shekels to 7.3 billion shekels for this year alone.

One way that the department is addressing this issue is by improving access to psychological and psychiatric care. This includes hiring more psychiatrists who specialize in treating combat-related mental disorders at a rate of 700 shekels per case. Additionally, they have recruited 400 emotional therapists to assist injured service members in coping with their trauma. The department has also introduced therapy dogs as part of its rehabilitation process; currently, there are already 155 service dogs provided to victims for therapy and another 140 dogs currently in training. These efforts aim to provide comprehensive support to those affected by conflict and facilitate their recovery journey.