For much of the past two years, the term "PTSD" has been a part of the daily news cycle in Israel. Post-traumatic stress disorder is said to affect three million Israelis, and in the difficult days and nights that Israelis have faced since Oct. 7, 2023, it has become a major part of the mental health landscape.
According to the Mayo Clinic definition, PTSD "is a mental health condition that is caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event b either being part of it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event."
Entrepreneur Chen Anya Shakliar says that dealing with PTSD in Israel is exacerbated by the complicated bureaucracy involved in identifying its symptoms, treating the condition, and arranging for the financial assistance to which those who suffer from it are entitled.
"Even before the war, the mental health system wasn't functioning very well, and during the war it almost completely collapsed," she says. "We are on the brink of a tsunami of people seeking help."
Shakliar speaks from personal experience.
On that horrific Oct. 7, her partner, who was a crime scene investigator for the police, arrived in Sderot with security forces. Though he made it out physically, he returned home with the weight of the trauma he had experienced, which soon spiraled into combat-related PTSD.
Shakliar became her partner's advocate, working with the Defense Ministry to arrange appointments, navigate the endless bureaucracy, and ensure that he received the assistance to which he was entitled. In the midst of these difficult circumstances, the ever-entrepreneurial advocate wondered if there could be a better way to help those who have PTSD manage their treatment and care.
"Over the past year and a half, we have found that 70% of people who suffer from PTSD don't receive the benefits to which they are entitled because they don't know what they are entitled to receive," she says. "They may receive the money, but they are not always treated. Damage from PTSD can become permanent. If it is not identified in time or is treated incorrectly, it can affect one's entire life."
Shakliar, together with her business partner Yulia Fridman, conceived of an app they named "Lydia" for smartphones and computers that would assist PTSD patients and their families, help them manage appointments, and understand their rights. "Our idea was to develop an app that would accompany people on their journey of living with PTSD," Fridman says. "It's not just about fighting bureaucracy; it's also about providing emotional support, creating a community of PTSD sufferers and their families, and offering ongoing guidance tailored to their changing needs throughout life."
>> Visit "Lydia's" website to find out more and donate to its development
The app is designed to ease the burden on families, as well as on the professionals treating them, she says, allowing everyone to focus on what truly matters b treatment and recovery rather than trial and error. "Lydia was created to harness cutting-edge technology to bring humanity back into care by reducing the bureaucratic burden."
The app is named in honor of Shakliar's grandmother Lydia, who raised her as a child in St. Petersburg, and later when she was growing up in Tel Aviv. "My grandmother was my inspiration, and all the strength I have is from her", she says in a voice laden with emotion.
Shakliar says that it was only when she recognized the PTSD symptoms in her partner that she realized that her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, had similar symptoms. Lydia was a doctor who transformed her post-trauma into personal growth and devoted her life to helping and healing others.
Shakliar and Fridman, who have worked together in hotel marketing and sales for two decades, established an NGO in the wake of Oct. 7 called Anish (a Hebrew acronym for "people creating change" ). The organization has helped people in circumstances of need from the war, visited wounded soldiers, and supplied food to soldiers.
The pair quickly took up the challenge of designing the Lydia app for individuals affected by PTSD. Shakliar and Fridman's project was accepted to the Resilience & Health Innovation Hub in Sderot, which operates with the Sderot Municipality and has assisted them with funding and support, as well as assistance from the Israel Innovation Authority. The accelerator, which is a key pillar of the hub, operates in collaboration with Sapir Academic College's Technological Center for Security and Resilience in the Western Negev.
The app, which will be a free download, is being designed with an AI assistant that can help users obtain the help they need. "The app will fill out the forms for the patient and send them automatically," explains Shakliar.
The program's AI assistant asks questions to the user, she says. Based on the answers supplied, it accompanies them and their family throughout the journey. "The app asks, 'How can I help you?' It knows how to make connections. It is a neurolinguistic program that understands what to do from the nature of the exchanges with the user."
For example, Lydia may direct the user to contact a specific IDF medical unit, the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi), or other relevant organizations for treatment. The app will be able to manage the entire rehabilitation process, from the moment a claim for recognition of PTSD is submitted, to finding a suitable therapeutic and even social framework for those needing help and their family members.
The user's partner can also use the app to join a support community of spouses and partners of people with PTSD to obtain additional information. "We are trying to create an off-line community so that people will connect with each other," says Shakliar, adding that the app will note when someone hasn't used it for some time, to help prevent them from endangering themselves. "The program, at its essence, uses AI to restore the humanity in people."
Fridman expends further on the AI capabilities of the program. She explains that in addition to people who have already been diagnosed with PTSD, the app can be used by people who, though they may not have been diagnosed, are concerned that they are experiencing symptoms consistent with the diagnosis. While it cannot be used to diagnose the ailment, Lydia can set an appointment for the person to visit a specialist and will remind him or her about it.
If the user has been diagnosed with PTSD, she notes, the app can direct him or her to go further."People with PTSD are entitled to rights and compensation," says Fridman, "not just in terms of what they receive from the Defense Ministry or Bituach Leumi but in other areas as well, such as couples counseling, workshops, activities, or mentoring for children. Using AI, the app guides the users and informs them of the available options."
"For example," says Shakliar, "my partner, who retired after Oct. 7 because he could no longer work, received a notice from the app that he was eligible to join a free boating course in Ashkelon near his home." Remembering his profile and interests from his previous usage, the app offered to sign him up for the course.
"Lydia makes it simple and easy to return control to those who have PTSD," the mental health care entrepreneur says, "because the story of PTSD is actually one of loss of control. This straightforward app enables them to lead this process in a very structured way so that they can receive the benefits to which they are entitled."
Moshe Shamy, an entrepreneur who founded the innovation hub in Sderot, says, "One of the most significant challenges faced by individuals diagnosed with PTSD is dealing with bureaucracy. We believe - and we're seeing firsthand - just how essential solutions like Lydia are, especially in our country and particularly after the events of Oct. 7. We are providing "Lydia" with the necessary support framework so it can succeed and, in doing so, help many diagnosed individuals cope with the challenges they face."
Netanel Amar, Shakilar and Fridman's mentor at the resilience accelerator, is an entrepreneur who has developed successful start-ups. He says, "There is a great need for this since Oct. 7. The Lydia app can make life easier for people who have experienced trauma, ranging from families in the Gaza border region and Sderot to ZAKA volunteers and those who have been involved in the fighting since then. Lydia can make a huge impact."
Lydia is being distributed on a limited basis to users as part of preliminary testing. Shakliar and Fridman are seeking donations through Anish, their nonprofit organization, to help complete program development.
The partners require NIS 350,000 ($104,000) to complete the program, which can be ready within a month, as soon as the funding is finalized. Once they have completed MVP (minimum viable product) testing, they say, they will initiate collaborations with the National Insurance Institute, the health funds (kupot holim), and the Defense Ministry.
"Once they see how it can lighten the bureaucratic burden, we will be able to work together with them," says Shakliar.
The partners say that once the app is complete, the company will be established in Sderot, where their story began. A portion of the revenues will be donated to Anish as a contribution to the community.
Readers interested in learning more about Lydia and donating to its development can visit mind-well-campaign-hub.lovable.app.
This article was written in cooperation with Anish.