Only 500 of the 13,000 lone reservists have received mental health support since Oct. 7

Out of the thousands of lone soldiers who have served in the reserves since the start of the war and who need treatment, only 500 have received treatment, according to data from the IDF revealed on Wednesday at the Knesset’s Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee.

National trauma is affecting reservists, many of whom are now in need of psychological help that they are not receiving. Despite requests from the committee, the IDF has yet to provide lone reservists with additional mental health support. It is, however, working to create a definition for 'lone reservists.'

Sergeant First Class Vladislav Sergienko, a paratrooper and lone soldier, was found dead due to suicide during his reserve service. Sergeant Sergienko left behind a wife and a one-and-a-half-year-old child. His funeral was held on November 18, 2024.

Anna Belashov, the widow of Sergeant Sergienko, told the committee: "I called the IDF's mental health support center in July to request help for my spouse, and to this day, I’m still waiting for them to get back to me. In the meantime, my spouse is no longer with us. Soldiers feel that they can’t unload their mental burdens in front of a uniformed psychologist, so it’s important to allow soldiers with psychological distress to receive help outside of the army."

Elena Sergienko, the sister of Sergeant Sergienko, said: "A clerk took our details at the IDF mental health support center, but they never got back to us. Psychiatrist appointments under his health insurance plan (Kupat Cholim) had a six-month delay, and in the meantime, we had to bury my brother. We could have avoided this if they had helped us on time and directed us to the right places."

"We are engaged in focused and rapid discussions aimed at solving the problems of lone reservists and those without familial support," said Lt.-Col. Avishag Sabag-Reuven, the IDF’s head of reserves.

"I’m not sure that all reserve commanders fully understand the plight of lone soldiers and those without familial support. We will guide the commanders in the field to pay more attention to this demographic. We will clarify and make the relevant information easily accessible for lone reservists."

Lt.-Col. Dr. Michal Lipshitz, head of the IDF’s psychiatric department, said the IDF's mental health system has been expanded to approximately 800 therapists: "We established a new branch during the war that provides support for soldiers with post-traumatic symptoms. Over 500 soldiers have been seen at this clinic since the war began. In the Combat Stress Response Unit, there is support for civilians who served in the reserves and feel emotional distress after their discharge. Additionally, regular and reserve soldiers who feel immediate distress can contact the mental health support hotline we established at *6690."

Defining 'lone reservist'

Committee Chairman MK Oded Forer concluded the discussion by setting a deadline of two weeks for all relevant IDF authorities to define "lone reservists" accurately, and to send all necessary information on the lone reservists to the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption for appropriate treatment.

Forer added that he intends to request an immediate allocation of 5 million shekels from the Minister of Defense to support organizations helping lone soldiers with mental health aid: "Government offices move slowly. The actions the IDF has taken so far have not been sufficient. We need to find a way to provide a quick and efficient care for lone soldiers experiencing emotional distress. Time is critical in mental health treatment. The faster, more accessible, and effective the treatment is, the fewer suicides of lone reservists will occur, and they will be able to return to their previous lives, in the time before their reserve service."