Rising Psychological Support Needs for Military Personnel: Increased Budget and New Therapy Approaches in Israel

Since the beginning of the war, the rehabilitation department of the Ministry of Defense has seen over 7,200 injured military and security personnel seeking help. The majority of these victims, about 95%, are reservists under the age of 30. Among these victims, 30% have developed psychological problems such as difficulty sleeping, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

As the conflict continues to rage on, it’s predicted that by the end of this year, the number of new cases in the department will increase to 20 thousand, with around 8,000 requiring psychological, emotional or psychiatric assistance. To accommodate this growing number of victims and provide them with adequate care, the department’s budget has been increased by 1.9 billion shekels to a whopping total of 7.3 billion shekels for this year alone.

The increased budget includes allocations for improving access to psychological and psychiatric care for those who need it most. This includes hiring more psychiatrists experienced in treating combat-related mental disorders and increasing their rates to 700 shekels per case. In addition to that, emotional therapists have been recruited at a rate of 400 to provide trauma support for injured service members.

The therapy dogs have also been introduced as part of the rehabilitation process with already over 155 service dogs given to victims for therapy and another 140 currently in training. These measures aim to provide holistic support to those affected by conflict and help them recover from their injuries.

Despite their best efforts though, it seems clear that more needs must be done in order to effectively treat those affected by war and provide them with long-term support as they work towards recovery.