1,000% increase in requests for mental health treatment by Israeli reservists.
Colonel Uzi Bakhoor, head of the IDF Reservists’ Mental Health Unit, told the Jerusalem Post that this situation is unusual in militaries around the world.
Noting that his unit provides mental health services to discharged soldiers or reservists who have become civilians, not to active-duty soldiers, he said the increase in requests for treatment is partly due to the intensity and duration of the war, as well as a change in military culture.
The head of the IDF Reservists’ Mental Health Unit said: “Previously, IDF soldiers would request mental health services after 10 years, but now these requests are much earlier, sometimes even a week or two after the injury.”
He added that the provision of mental health services includes not only combat soldiers but also support forces such as doctors and drivers, and even those in administrative jobs who have been affected by the Gaza war.
Bakhor acknowledged that his unit closely monitors suicides among Israeli soldiers, noting that most suicides by Israeli soldiers are unknown to military therapists or health officials.
He noted that soldiers from the Givati Brigade who had served for more than 300 days suffered from mental distress and requested transfers to administrative jobs.
The head of the IDF’s mental health unit said that five years ago, many soldiers were embarrassed to see a psychologist, but that the situation is “completely different” now, and that this is not only a result of the stress of a long war, but also a result of profound social changes in the army and among Israelis.