Reservists Report Long Waits for Military Therapy as Cases Build

Reservists who finished long combat tours are paying for private care abroad.

Interviews with reservists and military sources reported by The Jerusalem Post describe a gap between demand and the capacity of clinics run by the IDF Medical Corps. The Ta'atzumot Clinic and the Combat Stress Reaction Unit have not kept pace with the number of soldiers seeking help, the sources said. They described combat soldiers and reservists bypassing the military system for private providers, nonprofits and programs overseas. More than 7,000 soldiers, mostly combat troops, have been officially recognized with psychological disabilities from their service. Estimates from the IDF and the Defense Ministry's Rehabilitation Department put the eventual figure in the tens of thousands, mostly reservists.

Reservists report they get limited support near the end of their deployments. Some said the help was not available at all. Military sources in the reserves said the military treats its duty as finished once a reservist becomes a civilian, leaving the person to work through bureaucracy and thin services alone. One reservist source said the IDF should have worked with nonprofit groups from the start. "It would have been preferable for the IDF to initiate a process with the nonprofit organizations and private bodies to minimize the gaps in diagnosis, oversight, and ultimately treatment," the source said.

The Ta'atzumot Clinic reports that about 65% of patients return to service. Sources questioned whether that number covers only patients who reached the front line of treatment. The clinic has added staff, occupational therapy, a track for career personnel and an intensive outpatient program. The Combat Stress Reaction Unit has taken on more than 5,000 new patients and widened access in northern and southern Israel, according to the IDF. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said new clinics have opened across Israel and a 24-hour hotline runs seven days a week. The military said it identifies soldiers who may need help through debriefing sessions with units after operational deployments.

The IDF Medical Corps said it does not oppose publishing data on personnel with combat stress reactions, and that such figures already appear in scientific publications. The military has built a framework called the Service Cycle after almost three years of reserve deployments. The framework treats reserve service as a year-round obligation that affects reservists, their families and their units. The IDF said it does not wait for soldiers to come forward for care.