Traumatech Nation: How Israel became a mental health leader

Almost no other Western country in the world, with the possible exception of Ukraine, has experienced trauma on the scale Israel has in recent years. A Tel Aviv University study based on a series of questionnaires on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggested that as many as 23 per cent of Israelis now suffer from PTSD. A separate report by the State Comptroller found that around 30 per cent of Israelis experience at least one symptom of PTSD, anxiety, or depression.

However, as with water, cybersecurity, and of course, defence, Israel has not retreated from the challenge. “Crisis breeds innovation” may be a cliché, but in Israel, it has become a way of life. In many countries, statistics like these would define the entire conversation. In Israel, however, another story is unfolding alongside PTSD: post-traumatic growth (PTG).

That growth is giving many Israelis a renewed sense of meaning after years of extraordinary hardship. Like much of the world, the country's current chapter began with the COVID-19 pandemic. But unlike much of the world, Israel's trauma did not end there. It continued with the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, the wars that followed, direct conflict with Iran, constant threats on multiple fronts, and a worldwide front marked by rising antisemitism and hostility toward the Jewish state.

That same PTG is also driving the innovation needed to confront the problem. Dozens of new startups are emerging in the field of mental health technology, an industry this book calls “Traumatech”. But the secret ingredient, as with water, cybersecurity, and defence, is not simply that these innovations can help heal Israeli society. Israel is creating an entirely new industry, one whose technologies, treatments, and discoveries can ultimately be exported worldwide, allowing others to benefit from solutions born of one nation's struggle.

Some of those ideas challenge conventional assumptions about what mental health treatment can look like. PsyRx, an Israeli company founded on research initiated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is developing a treatment that combines a standard antidepressant with a microdose of ibogaine, a psychedelic compound. The goal is to promote neuroplasticity and accelerate the antidepressant effect while avoiding the intense psychedelic experience associated with higher doses.