Israeli LGBTQ Teens Fear Seeking Mental and Medical Treatment, Study Shows. A series of University of Haifa studies found that Israeli LGBTQ teens often avoid pursuing mental and medical treatment in fear of non-accepting healthcare providers, as many professionals cite public and political discourse on the community as harming to their sense of self-security. Israeli sexual and gender minority youth often refrain from seeking mental and medical treatment due to their fear of being shunned by healthcare providers, a series of recently published studies reveal. According to the University of Haifa studies, this concern stems, among other factors, from a lack of dedicated training among medical and mental health professionals. Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan and Dr. Ruth Berkowitz and managed by social worker Shir Maoz, aimed to examine teenagers' attitudes toward the Israeli healthcare system with an emphasis on mental health, while also examining the gaps within the system itself regarding knowledge and training in treating LGBTQ adolescents. To examine these attitudes, the researchers developed a new questionnaire to measure the barriers standing between the teens and their willingness to pursue mental health treatment.