PSYCHOLOGICAL CRISIS WILL AFFECT 10,000 ISRAELI SOLDIERS BY END OF 2024: DATA

Tue 23 April 2024:

The Israeli Ministry of Defence’s Rehabilitation Department said it has received 7,209 wounded soldiers since the beginning of the war on Gaza on 7 October, and that 30 per cent of them had developed psychological issues as a result of the war.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Defence said about 60 per cent of the wounded soldiers had psychological trauma as the primary form of injury.

The statement estimated that during the current year, approximately 8,000 new soldiers facing psychological crises will be accommodated in the Soldiers’ Rehabilitation Division, noting that the division is preparing to accommodate 20,000 new soldiers until the end of the year, including 8,000 soldiers who develop psychological traumas such as panic, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, difficulties in adapting, difficulties in communication, psychological illnesses, etc and that their number may rise to 10,000.

Soldiers experience war-related distress

A Maccabi Healthcare Services survey published at the beginning of the month found that one-third of the war’s evacuees reported a change in their health condition for the worse, and there was a 35% increase in the use of medications to treat depression or anxiety.

Rates of PTSD are on the rise

Nova festival survivors spoke at a Knesset debate on Tuesday about the lack of treatment for mental health patients among those who managed to escape the rave alive on October 7 and have been left struggling, scarred beyond compare, ever since.

Notably, the country is promising more than it is capable of providing when it comes to psychological and psychiatric treatment in general, and in particular for those who have been left traumatized by the war.

Discussing the sensitive subject of suicide rates among the Nova survivors, the Health Ministry reiterated that it cannot confirm how many survivors have taken their own lives (some estimates are that over 50 have done so thus far). The survivors speaking at the discussion pleaded for support.

last Sunday, the Israel Association for Child Protection (ELI) announced that it has seen an increase of 30% in requests for assistance for physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, including victims of war.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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