Israel's mental health crisis in the wake of October 7 attacks
More than one-third of Israelis have shown symptoms of mental health conditions, a report found. Three years after the October 7 attack, the country's health system is still struggling to come to terms with its effects.
Three years after the October 7, 2023 attack, mental health issues continue to plague the Israeli public, according to data from the ERAN organization. Over 928,000 individuals received help from ERAN's professional mental health teams, assisted by 1,850 volunteers. Nearly 150,000 people utilized ERAN's digital mental health services, while more than 770,000 called one of their hotlines.
In the three years since the war began, ERAN received 21,829 calls related to suicidality or suicidal ideation, a 70% increase from the first year of the conflict.
The organization reported that the percentage of youths seeking assistance for suicidality nearly doubled, rising from 2.6% to 4.4% over the same period. ERAN's data highlights the importance of recognizing signs of distress and addressing concerns about suicide, even in a time that may seem normal. Dr. Shiri Daniels, National Director of Counseling at ERAN, stressed the need for accessible help before distress worsens.
Loneliness also emerged as a significant issue, with ERAN receiving 41% of requests related to loneliness by the third year of the war, up from 28% at the start. Violence and sexual harm among soldiers calling ERAN more than doubled, from 5% in the first year to 10% in the second, before dropping to 8% in the third year. However, the rate of soldiers mentioning suicidality has remained constant at 1% throughout the three years since October 7.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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