The IDF has opened a dialogue with the Ministry of Health and the police to act together against psychiatrists who, according to the army, are serially formulating opinions for recipients of draft orders and attempting to exempt them from service.
The army says that identical opinions were identified for a number of military enlistment letters that were sent through the same law firms and did not match the military enlistment letter that reached the recruiting office.
Is this an industry? According to information collected by the IDF, psychiatrists sign dozens of documents requesting exemption from military service, which are then sent through law firms and not directly to the army, and contain similar wording and reasoning.
According to the data, there has been an increase in the phenomenon since the sending of draft orders to all Haredi yeshiva students and the increase in arrests and sanctions.
According to a report by Shiloh Fried in Yedioth Ahronoth, the IDF has opened a dialogue with the Ministry of Health over the suspicion that psychiatrists are helping young people formulate a professional opinion that includes a recommendation for exemption from military service, even if the person does not actually meet the appropriate criteria.
According to the report, a discussion with the police on the issue is also expected.
The IDF explains that they have identified a pattern in the way the opinions are formulated and sent, and admits that the phenomenon does not only come from among the ultra-Orthodox community.
Due to the fact that the IDF has no enforcement powers against civilian entities, the army contacted the Ministry of Health and the police with a request that they consider whether to open an investigation into the matter.
According to the report, the IDF began changing the procedure for submitting psychiatric opinions after another phenomenon - in which they discovered that someone else had submitted forms for exemption on their behalf. According to an IDF spokesperson, the protocol for receiving exemption from service on mental grounds is determined according to professional standards, and includes a systematic provision according to which the documents are examined by a professional and classified for further treatment according to medical criteria.
This screening method was determined, according to the army, with the understanding that the procedure must be streamlined in order to avoid harming military personnel suffering from mental health problems and to shorten waiting times.
According to the IDF, the phenomenon of psychiatrists receiving exemptions without their knowledge following documents submitted in their name is recognized and is being addressed in several ways. Among other things, officials in the Medical Corps make warning calls to psychiatrists suspected of providing false opinions, and warning notices have been widely distributed to psychiatrists.
An IDF spokesperson told Yedioth Ahronoth: "The phenomenon of opinions that do not match the medical condition of the medical examiner, submitted on behalf of medical examiners, is recognized and addressed in the IDF. In addition, the IDF is working in cooperation with the Israel Police in order to eradicate the phenomenon.".
