Health Minister: Between 80,000 to 500,000 now need mental health treatment

Health Minister Uriel Buso discussed the state of mental health provision in Israel at the 22nd Dead Sea Conference on mental health reform, emphasizing the need for change and increased services.

Buso said that there are different estimates of the number of people in need of mental health treatment in the wake of the war: "They range between 80,000 and over half a million. This, aside from the fact that many additional parts of the public will need other support and aid" from the government.

Among the steps Buso proposed to help aid this large group are the shortening and adaptation of training periods necessary to provide mental health services, as well as focusing on community-based treatment via health funds rather than just government psychiatric hospitals.