Adaptation of immigrant psychiatrists from the former Soviet Union in the Department of Mental Health of the Israel Defense Forces

Psychiatrists from the former Soviet Union serve in the Department of Menta l Health of the Israel Defense Forces. The new immigrant psychiatrists conf ront a wide range of difficulties during the process of integration to the military system and adaptation to the specifically military aspects of psyc hiatry. These include unfamiliarity with the military system, cultural clas hes with the different groups of soldiers representing the various subgroup s of the absorbing society, the psychopathology of soldiers, which is diffe rent from that seen in civil psychiatry, and the change in focus in the mil itary mental health service, which emphasizes the importance of evaluating ego strength. Arbitrarily, one can describe four stages of adaptation that the immigrant psychiatrist has to pass through before recruitment and durin g service until adaptation and integration in the new role take place. Indi vidual and group supervision are the main means by which the assimilation p rocess is eased. The military service smooths the acculturation process and has an important role in helping the immigrant's adaptation to Israeli soc iety and in building his or her professional identity.