Israeli Mental Health Navigator

Israeli Mental Health Navigator

Legal notice

This is a free information tool operated by an artificial-intelligence model. It explains how the Israeli mental health system is structured: entitlements under the National Health Insurance Law, the referral routes into the kupot cholim, crisis lines, and what the Treatment of Mental Patients Law, 1991 provides. All of its output is produced automatically, without the involvement, review or approval of a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker or lawyer. The output is not a diagnosis, not a severity assessment, not treatment, not a professional opinion and not legal advice, but general information about existing arrangements only: it involves no examination of and no meeting with a patient, does not consider your personal circumstances, and does not determine a disability percentage or an entitlement. An artificial-intelligence model may err, omit data or present a wrong conclusion, so verify every figure with your kupat cholim, with Bituach Leumi or with the competent authority.

Do not rely on the output to decide on treatment or medication, to appeal a hospitalization order or in any other legal proceeding, or to file a claim with Bituach Leumi. This tool is not a substitute for advice that takes into account the particular data and needs of each person. If you are in immediate distress call ERAN at 1201, and if anyone is in immediate danger call 101 or 100.

Instructions

Step 1: Mental Health Rights Under National Health Insurance

Since July 2015, mental health care in Israel has been covered under the National Health Insurance Law (chok bituach briut mamlachti, חוק ביטוח בריאות ממלכתי). This landmark reform transferred psychiatric and psychological services from the Ministry of Health to the kupot cholim (health funds).

Key rights:

• Every Israeli resident has the right to mental health treatment through their kupah, for children, adolescents and adults, covering individual and group therapy, with psychiatric medications under the health basket (sal briut, סל בריאות)
• A referral IS required for the community route. Get a referral form from your family doctor and check with your kupah whether Form 17 is also needed. Maccabi additionally requires a pre-authorization request (bakashat hitchayvut) through its app or portal with the referral attached, before you book. Only Maccabi's procedure was read: do not generalize it to Clalit, Meuhedet or Leumit, whose steps we have not verified. Send the user to their own kupah's service line. None of this applies to a psychiatric ER, see Step 3

2025-2026 system status: kupat cholim mental health budgets rose from around 347 million NIS in 2024 to around 591 million NIS in 2025, with further additions budgeted for 2026. Demand still outpaces supply and waiting lists remain a known bottleneck.

Step 2: Accessing Therapy Through Kupat Cholim

The process for starting therapy through any of the four kupot:

Copay depends on the SETTING, not on which kupah you belong to. The National Health Insurance service catalogue defines it by reference:

The only per-kupah figures we could read directly are Maccabi's (page updated 29.7.2026): 41 NIS quarterly at a public-hospital outpatient clinic, and free at a psychiatric hospital, at public Ministry of Health clinics, and at private clinics under agreement with Maccabi.

VERIFY BEFORE QUOTING: Clalit, Meuhedet and Leumit publish their secondary-physician tariffs in separate copay booklets we have not read. Do not assume they match Maccabi's 41 NIS. Send the user to their own kupah's booklet or service line.

Session entitlement (Maccabi's published structure, at Ministry of Health public clinics and hospital outpatient clinics):

The agreement-clinic route has no session cap and no cost, and is usually the best answer for someone who cannot afford private therapy.

Important notes:

• Waits run to weeks or months in many regions, and there is no binding national maximum, so do not quote one as an entitlement.
• If the therapist is not a good fit, you may request a different one
• Do not promise anything from supplementary insurance (shaban, שב"ן). A shaban may not sell a service already inside the health basket, and adult psychotherapy has been inside it since 2015, so what it adds is a question for the user's own kupah
• Children and adolescents go through the same assessment-plus-kartisiya structure and often get priority placement. Routes outside the kupah for minors, such as school-based educational-psychology services, are not covered here; ask the school or municipality
• Do NOT expect reimbursement for a therapist you find yourself; Maccabi states plainly that none is given for private mental health services. When the public clinic is full the correct route is a referral to a private clinic UNDER AGREEMENT with your kupah (מרפאה פרטית שבהסכם), where treatment length is at the therapist's discretion and costs you nothing.
• Once treatment starts, a kupah may not cut it off over a contract dispute with the provider (Deputy DG circular 01/2017).

Step 3: Crisis Hotlines and Emergency Support

Kupat cholim mental health hotlines (for intake and scheduling; a referral is still required for treatment):

When to use which: immediate emotional distress or suicidal thoughts, ERAN 1201. Trauma after a security incident, Natal *3362. Post-trauma distress as an IDF disabled person, discharged soldier or family member, Nefesh Achat *8944. After a sexual assault, 1202 for a woman responder or 1203 for a man. Prefer not to call, Sahar chat at sahar.org.il or WhatsApp 055-957-1399. If someone is in immediate danger of harming themselves or others, call 101 (MDA) or 100 (police).

Psychiatric emergency rooms (cheder miyun psikh'iatri, חדר מיון פסיכיאטרי) are the one route this skill's referral rules do NOT apply to. The Ministry of Health states they are open 24 hours a day all year, need no referral, and are not charged for. A general hospital ER is different: the visit carries a fee. The Ministry of Health page states three things about it, so give all three: a Form 17 commitment from your kupah reduces it, a specific referral to that medical centre from an authorized party together with a Form 17 commitment avoids it, and admission waives it entirely. When someone must be seen tonight, this is the answer, and there is nothing to arrange first.

If there is immediate danger, call 101 or 100 first. Where there is no immediate danger and someone deteriorating REFUSES to be seen, the route is not the ER: a district psychiatrist (psikh'iater mechozi, פסיכיאטר מחוזי) may order a compulsory psychiatric examination in writing, and anyone, including a family member, can bring the case to them. Section 6 covers the urgent case (illness substantially impairing judgment or reality-testing, immediate physical danger, and refusal to be examined, all three), section 7 the non-urgent case. An examination order is valid for 10 days (s.8), and only after the examination can a hospitalization order follow.

Once an order is made, the patient keeps rights worth stating plainly: it authorizes up to 7 days, extendable by 7 more by the district psychiatrist and beyond that only by a psychiatric committee; any person may appeal to that committee, which hears an appeal against a hospitalization order within 5 days; a further appeal lies to the District Court within 45 days, with a right to a lawyer under the Legal Aid Law. The conditions in full, the section numbers and the extension ladder are in references/patient-rights.md.

Step 4: Types of Treatment Available

What each modality involves, how long it typically runs, and its availability through the kupot are in references/therapy-types-guide.md.

Post-October 7 expansion (active 2025-2026):

• EMDR was significantly expanded across all kupot, more trauma-focused therapists were deployed, and group programs were established for affected communities
• Resilience centers (merkazei chosen, מרכזי חוסן) operated by the Ministry of Health in the south, north, Judea and Samaria, plus a national resilience center created after October 7. Together they serve roughly 1.3 million residents (per State Comptroller 2025 report)
• Sal briut 2026 added two medications for adults with major depression: Auvelity and Reagila (ריאגילה, cariprazine). Post-trauma treatments were considered for the 2026 basket and left out of it, so do not tell a user that PTSD coverage was expanded in it. Which line of treatment a drug is approved for is a prescribing question for a psychiatrist, not something to state here. Verify current coverage with your kupah pharmacist.

Step 5: Private Therapy Options and Costs

For those who prefer private therapy or cannot wait for kupat cholim placement. The 2025 HebPsy rate survey put the national average at around 395 NIS per session (about 2% higher than 2024), with the Tel Aviv / Shfela area roughly 40 NIS above the periphery.

Finding a private therapist: Directories: BeTipulNet (betipulnet.co.il); HebPsy (hebpsy.net), which also lists kupah agreement (hesder) therapists; Get Help Israel (gethelpisrael.com) in English.

• University training clinics offer reduced rates. Ask the clinic for its current rate

Tax: mental health expenses may be partially deductible if prescribed as medical treatment. Confirm the provision with a tax adviser or the Tax Authority rather than a section number quoted here, and keep all receipts (kabbalot, קבלות).

Step 6: Workplace Mental Health

Israeli labor law provides protections for employees dealing with mental health challenges.

Employee assistance programs (EAP): many employers offer an EAP (tochnit siyua le'ovdim, תוכנית סיוע לעובדים) through HR, covering personal, family and work-related issues with a number of free confidential sessions set by the employer's contract. Ask HR rather than assuming a figure.

Step 7: PTSD-Specific Resources

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder, הפרעת דחק פוסט-טראומטית) is widespread in Israel, and the MoD Rehabilitation Division is handling tens of thousands of wounded of whom a large share are dealing with PTSD or other mental health conditions. Current caseload figures circulate widely in the press but are not published in a form we could verify, so cite shikum.mod.gov.il rather than quoting a number.

Lines for this track: Natal *3362 and Nefesh Achat *8944 (both 24/7); BeYadayim Tovot *3757 for free help filing an IDF-disability claim, Sun-Thu 08:00-17:00; the Combat Reaction Unit 03-6401400, Sun-Thu 09:00-17:00, free with no recognition needed and no time limit; MoD Rehabilitation *8150 and the Iron Swords desk *6500, Sun-Thu 08:00-18:00, both information desks and NOT crisis lines. Holocaust-survivor support is through AMCHA (amcha.org), and the Ministry of Health information line is *5400, also not a crisis line.

File promptly in either track. Late filing costs retroactive payment, and Bituach Leumi publishes the retroactivity rule on the claim page, so read it there rather than assuming.

Bituach Leumi general disability recognition (mental health track):

1. Complete Form 7801 (tviya le'kitzbat nechut klalit, תביעה לקצבת נכות כללית) online or at a local branch
2. Attach a psychiatric or psychological opinion plus relevant medical documentation
3. Attend a medical committee evaluation (vaada refuit, ועדה רפואית)
4. Eligibility requires medical disability of at least 60%, or at least 40% if there are multiple impairments and one of them reaches 25%
5. As of 01.01.2026 Bituach Leumi publishes a full monthly pension of 4,711 NIS at a full incapacity grade (100% or 75%), 3,211 NIS at 74%, 2,894 NIS at 65% and 2,718 NIS at 60%, plus 1,214 NIS per child and 1,518 NIS for a spouse at the full grade (spouse income ceiling 7,848 NIS gross per month). Eligibility is also income-tested; the current earnings threshold is published on the Bituach Leumi eligibility page and should be read there rather than quoted from memory
6. The mental health rehabilitation basket (sal shikum, סל שיקום) is a SEPARATE Ministry of Health entitlement at a lower bar. It does not require a pension or an earning-capacity finding: Israeli residents aged 18 and over with at least 40% psychiatric disability qualify, determined either by Bituach Leumi or by a psychiatrist authorized by the Ministry of Health, and application is to a regional rehabilitation committee. A person refused the disability pension entirely can still qualify. The covered services and the application route are listed in references/patient-rights.md.

For terror or war-related trauma, the hostility-victims track at Bituach Leumi is usually faster and more generous than the general disability track. The order of steps matters: first file the injury-notification and recognition claim (todaa al pgia ve'hakara ke'nifga peulot eiva), which Bituach Leumi forwards to the determining authority (harashut hama'ashera) at the Ministry of Defense to decide whether the event was a hostile act. Form 571 comes AFTER recognition: it requests a medical-treatment benefit (tatar) or a disability grade, and is open only to someone already recognized. Recognized victims also get a rehabilitation basket that includes psychological treatment. Assistance line: 02-6269999.

Post-October 7 programs (still active 2025-2026):

• Extended PTSD treatment coverage through all kupot cholim, emergency mental health response teams in affected communities, nationwide EMDR training for therapists, and free digital mental health platforms
• Reservists who served 30+ days under tzav 8 since January 1, 2025 can be reimbursed for emotional, psychological, psychotherapeutic and complementary treatment, for themselves and for spouses and children up to age 14. It is one-time, capped at 2,500 NIS for combat-array reservists and 1,000 NIS for others, and 2025 service is claimable until 31.12.2027. By government decision the 2026 assistance also covers service under routine orders, not only tzav 8

Examples

Example 1: Starting Therapy for Anxiety

User says: "I've been having panic attacks and want to start therapy. How do I do this through my kupat cholim?"

Actions:

1. Get a referral from your family doctor first, and ask whether your kupah also needs Form 17 or a pre-authorization request
2. Call the kupah's mental health department (machleket briut hanefesh) for an intake appointment and describe the symptoms
3. Cost depends on the setting: typically no charge at a Ministry of Health public clinic or an agreement clinic, and Maccabi publishes 41 NIS per quarter at a public-hospital outpatient clinic. Check your own kupah's booklet
4. If the wait is long, ask for a referral to a private clinic UNDER AGREEMENT with your kupah, where the therapist sets the course with no session cap. Do not expect reimbursement for a therapist you find yourself

Result: Patient begins weekly CBT sessions through their kupah, subsidized under the 2015 reform, and can request reassignment if the therapist is not a good match.

Example 2: Crisis Support After a Difficult Event

User says: "My friend just told me they're having suicidal thoughts. What do I do right now?"

Actions:

1. Stay with your friend; do not leave them alone
2. Call ERAN at 1201 together, or call on their behalf
3. If there is immediate danger, call 101 (MDA) or 100 (police)
4. Encourage your friend to go to a psychiatric ER (cheder miyun psikh'iatri). It is open 24/7, needs no referral and is not charged for, so there is nothing to arrange in advance
5. After the immediate crisis, help them schedule an appointment with their kupat cholim

Result: ERAN provides immediate crisis intervention and guidance. If hospitalization is needed the ER psychiatric team evaluates and can arrange voluntary or involuntary admission; the rights that attach to an involuntary admission are in Step 3 and in references/patient-rights.md.

Example 3: Navigating Workplace Mental Health Leave

User says: "I need to take time off work for depression but I'm worried about my job. What are my rights?"

Actions:

1. Get a sick note (ishur machala) from your doctor. It does not name a diagnosis
2. Submit it to HR. You accrue 1.5 sick days per month (18 per year)
3. Section 4A of the Sick Pay Law bars dismissal while you are absent through illness, for as long as your accrued balance lasts. It does not apply if notice was given before the absence, or if the workplace shut down
4. For extended leave, ask your doctor for a longer ishur machala

Result: Employee takes mental health sick leave, the employer receives a sick note without a diagnosis, and employment is protected under the Equal Rights for People with Disabilities Law.

Example 4: Seeking PTSD Treatment

User says: "I've been having flashbacks and nightmares since a traumatic event. Where do I get help?"

Actions:

1. For immediate support, call Natal at *3362, or Nefesh Achat *8944 if you are an IDF disabled person, a discharged soldier or a family member
2. Contact your kupah for a referral for PTSD-specific treatment, and ask what trauma-focused options the clinic offers
3. If symptoms are severe, request an urgent psychiatric evaluation
4. If the trauma is related to a recognized event (military service, terror attack, war), file with the appropriate track: for nifgaei eiva start with the injury-notification and recognition claim at Bituach Leumi (Form 571 is the post-recognition benefit request, not the way in), Form 7801 for general mental health disability, or contact MoD Rehabilitation at *8150 (Iron Swords casualties: *6500). Free help preparing an IDF-disability claim is available from BeYadayim Tovot at *3757

Result: Patient is connected to trauma-specialized treatment through their kupah. Recognition, if applicable, adds financial support and treatment access.

Bundled Resources

References

• references/crisis-hotlines-directory.md. Full directory of Israeli crisis lines with hours, languages and the population each serves, including lines for Arabic, Russian and Amharic speakers, LGBTQ+, youth, women, elderly and veterans. It also records which numbers were REMOVED for being unconfirmable, so a stale number cannot quietly return. Consult whenever a user needs a contact right now.
• references/therapy-types-guide.md. What each therapy type treats, how long it runs, kupah availability and private cost. Consult when choosing between modalities.
• references/patient-rights.md. Emergency-route rules, rights under the Treatment of Mental Patients Law, 1991, and the sal shikum basket. Consult on compulsory admission, appeals, or where to go tonight.
• references/domain-checklist.md. The coverage contract for this domain: what a complete answer must include, and what is deliberately out of scope. Internal, for reviewers.

Scripts

• scripts/therapy-cost-estimator.py. Estimates therapy costs by treatment setting (kupat cholim, private, university clinic, sliding scale), therapist type, and city. Run: python scripts/therapy-cost-estimator.py --sessions-per-month 4 --type private --city tel-aviv

Recommended MCP Servers

Reference Links

Gotchas

• A psychiatric ER needs no referral and is free, while the community route needs a referral and often a pre-authorization. Agents apply the clinic's rules to the emergency route and tell a user in acute distress to get a referral first, which is exactly the wrong instruction at that moment.
• The 2015 reform moved psychiatric services from the government to the kupot. Agents still cite the old government-run system and outdated access paths.
• ERAN is 1201, not a toll-free format. Agents generate plausible but wrong crisis numbers. Verify every hotline number against the reference directory.
• Natal's phone number changed from the legacy 1-800-363-363 to *3362. Agents trained on older data will use the old number. Always use *3362.
• The kupah session entitlement is two-stage (2 assessment sessions plus a 15-session kartisiya within a year), not a vague "12-16 per year", and at a clinic under agreement there is no cap at all. Agents state one number for both settings.
• Copay for a psychiatrist is set by SETTING, not by kupah. There is no single national number. Agents commonly invent one and apply it to all four kupot.
• Sal shikum requires 40% psychiatric disability at age 18+, and is separate from the general disability pension (which needs 60% medical disability). Agents commonly merge the two thresholds.
• Sick days for mental health pay exactly as for physical illness: day 1 unpaid, days 2-3 at 50%, day 4+ at 100%. Agents apply US-style policies instead.
• Post-October 7 services were significantly expanded, including EMDR availability. Agents trained before late 2023 do not reflect this.
• MoD Rehabilitation runs three numbers and agents mix them up: *8150 general call center, *6500 Iron Swords casualties desk, and *8944 (Nefesh Achat), the only 24/7 emotional-support line of the three. *3104 is not an MoD number. If in doubt route to shikum.mod.gov.il.
• The national sexual assault lines are 1202 (women) and 1203 (men), and the association also publishes sector lines for Arab women, religious women and religious men. For domestic violence the route is 118. Agents frequently swap the two services.
• Form 571 is NOT the way into the hostility-victims track. It is open only to someone ALREADY recognized, for a medical-treatment benefit or a disability grade, so agents that present it as the recognition form send claimants to a form they cannot use. Recognition begins with the injury-notification and recognition claim. Form 7801 is the general-disability claim. Cite a btl.gov.il URL rather than guessing any other number.

Troubleshooting

Error: "My kupat cholim says there's a 2-month wait for therapy"

Cause: High demand for mental health services, especially since 2023, has created long wait times in many kupot cholim. Solution: Ask for a referral to a private clinic UNDER AGREEMENT with your kupah (מרפאה פרטית שבהסכם). This is the official alternative route, it costs nothing, and the course of treatment is set by the therapist rather than capped. Do not ask for reimbursement for a therapist you found yourself; Maccabi, for example, states plainly that no reimbursement is given for private mental health services. Do not promise that supplementary insurance (shaban) will get them in faster; ask the kupah what, if anything, it adds. In the meantime, call ERAN (1201) for immediate support.

Error: "I was told therapy through kupat cholim is only for severe conditions"

Cause: Some kupot cholim intake workers may incorrectly gatekeep access, prioritizing severe cases. However, the 2015 reform guarantees coverage for all mental health needs, not just severe psychiatric conditions. Solution: Insist on your right to treatment under the National Health Insurance Law. If refused, file a complaint with the kupah's own ombudsman (netziv kvilot hatzibur, נציב קבילות הציבור), and if that fails go OUTSIDE the kupah to the Ministry of Health commissioner for National Health Insurance complaints, who can direct a kupah to provide a service. The kupah's internal ombudsman is not the end of the road, and *5400 is an information line with no authority over a kupah.

Error: "My employer asked me why I'm taking sick days"

Cause: Some employers improperly request medical details beyond what is legally required. An employer is entitled to receive a sick note confirming the employee cannot work, but not the diagnosis or reason. Solution: Provide only the standard sick note (ishur machala) from your doctor. Politely inform HR that you are not required to disclose your diagnosis. If pressured, contact the Ministry of Labor public-inquiries service at gov.il, or the Kav LaOved organization at kavlaoved.org.il, for guidance on your rights.