The vast wave of immigrants to Israel (approximately equal to the population before May 1948) created grave problems for the newcomers as well as for the pre-existing population. Coming from more than sixty different countries, with enormous cultural variation, interethnic friction was added to the more obvious problems of immigrants: loss of external social support, lack of identification with the new environment, separation from family and friends, and unique stresses to which many had been subjected. A frequent problem was that of heightened sensitivity to stimulation and lowered tolerance to frustration. Many showed paranoid reactions; but psychoses other than reactive depressions and paranoid states have been no more frequent than in a stable population. Expert consultation service has been extensively used by administrative