For many soldiers returning from the front lines of the Israel-Hamas war, the most grueling battle begins only after the uniform comes off. A deepening PTSD crisis among IDF veterans has left thousands of combatants and their families trapped in a cycle of emotional numbness, rage and dissociation, while a systemic gap in the state’s rehabilitation process leaves many to suffer in silence.
The human cost is stark. Since October 7, 2023, more than 80 soldiers have committed suicide, a figure that does not account for those who took their own lives prior to the conflict or survivors of the Supernova festival who succumbed to their trauma. This epidemic of mental health collapse is not merely a byproduct of war, but a failure of infrastructure, as veterans describe a “vacuum” between their discharge from the army and the moment they receive recognition from the Ministry of Defense’s Rehabilitation Department.
Amidst this crisis, a promising pharmacological approach is emerging. Dr. Hillel Glover, a U.S.-based psychiatrist specializing in trauma, suggests that an opioid antagonist called nalmefene—marketed in Israel and Europe as Selincro—could provide a breakthrough for those suffering from the most disabling symptom of PTSD: emotional numbing.
While nalmefene is currently registered in Israel to treat alcohol abuse and is included in the sal briut (the Health Ministry’s approved basket of medications), its application for combat trauma remains an untapped potential. For veterans like Micha Katz, a major who served in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams, the need for such a breakthrough is urgent.
The ‘Vacuum’ of Rehabilitation
The struggle for veterans is often as much about bureaucracy as It’s about biology. In testimonies before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Micha Katz described a systemic failure in how the state handles the transition from combat to civilian life. He noted that while We find brief processing periods immediately after combat, soldiers are often released “into the wind” without a clear bridge to the Rehabilitation Department.
This lack of a specific legal and medical definition for “combat PTSD” creates a barrier to specialized care. Currently, the system often treats combat trauma as general PTSD, which veterans argue ignores the unique intensity of war-zone experiences. Katz emphasized that without this definition, the tools provided by the state are insufficient, often limiting family support to social workers or psychologists rather than the psychiatrists required for severe clinical cases.
The impact extends far beyond the soldier. Shmuel Harel, a disabled veteran who fought in Kibbutz Kissufim and later in Gaza and Lebanon, has worked to quantify this collapse. Through a survey of 576 respondents, Harel identified a chilling trend of secondary trauma affecting spouses, parents, and children.
| Symptom/Experience | Percentage of Family Respondents |
|---|---|
| Ongoing anxiety and stress | 89% |
| Sleep disturbances | 68% |
| Loneliness and helplessness | 65% |
| Secondary PTSD symptoms | 64% |
| Children exhibiting aggression/behavioral issues | 94% |
Harel’s data reveals that 55% of families reported receiving no treatment at all, and 51% were unaware they were even entitled to benefits. For the children of these veterans, the trauma manifests as “acting like little soldiers” to protect the family, with 17% of children reporting suicidal thoughts or hospitalization.
The Science of Nalmefene and Emotional Numbing
The potential for nalmefene to treat the PTSD crisis among IDF veterans lies in its ability to target the endogenous opioid system. Dr. Hillel Glover’s research focuses on “emotional numbing”—a state where patients feel a “wall” between themselves and the world, describing their existence as living in a “world of gray” where food tastes like cardboard and loved ones appear as two-dimensional silhouettes.
Glover’s hypothesis is that this numbing is mediated by the body’s opioid system. By using nalmefene, an opioid blocker, he believes this state can be reversed. In a 23-month pilot study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry in 1993, Glover administered nalmefene to Vietnam combat veterans. Those who received the highest dose reported that their PTSD symptoms—including nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional detachment—significantly improved or went into remission within two to three weeks.
This function was later supported by a 2021 study published in the German journal Der Nervenarzt. Researchers Dr. Christian Schmahl and Dr. Frank Enning administered nalmefene to patients with complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder, finding a significant reduction in dissociative phenomena in 13 out of 17 patients. Their findings were consistent with Glover’s earlier observations in veterans.
To standardize this treatment, Glover developed the Glover Numbing Scale (GNS) and the Glover Vulnerability Scale (GVS), designed to measure the extent of emotional deadness and the patient’s sense of safety and trust.
Overcoming the Bureaucratic Hurdle
Despite the existing registration of Selincro (nalmefene) in Israel for alcohol addiction, using it for PTSD requires a higher dosage and a specific titration method. This necessitates new clinical trials and approval from medical ethics boards. Currently, the effort to bring this treatment to Israeli veterans is a grassroots one, led by physicians and veterans rather than a centralized national mission.
Dr. Glover has been reaching out to Israeli medical figures to facilitate these studies. A senior physician-researcher in Israel has expressed readiness to conduct a study in consultation with Glover, pending agreement from the appropriate medical bodies and the receipt of Helsinki probation—the ethical standard for research involving human participants.
For the veterans currently demonstrating in front of the Knesset, the urgency is not academic. They are calling for a national mission that includes a dedicated hotline for families, immediate psychiatric access upon discharge, and a legal definition of combat PTSD that triggers automatic, comprehensive support for the entire family unit.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
For those struggling with trauma or suicidal thoughts, support is available. In Israel, you can contact ERAN (Emotional First Aid) by dialing 1201. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 support.
The next critical checkpoint for this treatment will be the formal submission of research requests to the Israeli medical boards to authorize a controlled study of high-dose nalmefene for combat veterans. Until such a study is approved and implemented, the burden of care remains on the families and the grassroots initiatives of the veterans themselves.
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