Something deep has broken in Israeli society. Not only the sense of security, but also the mental resilience of many people. It is happening quietly, inside homes, on campuses, among young families and among people who continue to function outwardly, while inside they are struggling to breathe.
A new Israeli study found that 44% of pregnant women whose partners were called up for reserve duty suffer from symptoms of clinical depression. Their risk of mental distress is more than twice as high as that of women whose partners did not serve in the reserves. The researchers also found one significant protective factor that appeared again and again: social support.
While many women are coping alone with anxiety, loneliness and mental distress surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, the treatment systems themselves are also beginning to collapse.
Psychologists in university counseling services are warning that more and more students are coming in with trauma, anxiety, emotional overload and prolonged reserve service in the background. Therapists are burning out and leaving counseling services, mainly because their pay has eroded compared with wages in the public sector. Against this backdrop, they recently warned that some counseling services may not open at all in the coming academic year. These are not two separate stories. They are the very same reality.
Precisely as distress is deepening, the treatment systems themselves are being worn down by overload and a shortage of therapy positions.
A country that wants to confront this crisis must invest in its professionals: in proper pay, staffing, training and the ability to maintain a functioning public system over time. At the same time, psychologists cannot be expected to carry, on their own, an entire society living through ongoing trauma.
Distress begins early
Alongside strengthening the mental health system, Israel must also build a community support network within local authorities. Mental distress does not begin the moment a person arrives for therapy. It begins much earlier, in loneliness, in the feeling that there is no one to talk to, and in the fact that no one sees you in time.
It is precisely local authorities, which are closest to residents, that can provide early responses to prevent deterioration. With appropriate budgets, they could hire more staff for municipal support infrastructure and build activities that connect people and restore a sense of belonging and community security.
Community workers, resilience coordinators and local response teams can serve as the first point of support in moments of crisis.
Israel's mental health crisis will not be solved only by opening more clinics, but it will not be solved only through community programs either. The solution must be integrated: both a strong public system of mental health professionals and a community that knows how to see people before they collapse.
The mental health of all of us, and the resilience of Israeli society, have been shaken repeatedly in recent years. To get back on track, the State of Israel must invest in us. Local authorities can be the spearhead of the national rehabilitation that is needed, provided they are given the responsibility and the budgets. This is an investment that will cost far less than continued neglect. As we all know, when problems are left untreated, the situation deteriorates, and the future price will be dozens of times higher.
