‘Israel’ facing “nationwide mental health crisis” after Oct. 7: study

‘Israel’ faces a “nationwide mental health crisis” three years after the events of October 7, 2023, according to a study by Clalit Health Services experts and the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute cited by Hebrew media.

Researchers found that approximately one in five ‘Israelis’ continues to report severe impairment in daily functioning due to mental health issues, with no decline in this rate between late 2024 and mid-2026 despite some reduction in symptom levels.

About 15 percent of respondents described the highest level of personal exposure to trauma, either through direct presence during the events or close connections.

Young women aged 18-35 showed the highest rates of ongoing impairment, at around 32 percent.

Prof. Ran Balicer, deputy director general and head of the Innovation Division at Clalit, stated: “The findings we have systematically collected over the past three years show that alongside a steady increase in the proportion of people receiving mental health treatment, psychological distress is becoming chronic for a significant part of the population and is accompanied by deep functional impairment.”

The study estimated that some 60,000 ‘Israelis’ developed clinical PTSD between October 2023 and December 2025 across public health funds.

Psychiatric emergency visits among children and adolescents rose by 121 percent in the third year of the conflict compared with pre-war levels.

Prof. Amir Krivoy, director of Clalit’s Geha Mental Health Center, described the consequences as “a deep and ongoing crisis that presents a national challenge to Israel’s mental health system.”

New PTSD diagnoses among residents evacuated from settlements near Gaza remained six times higher than pre-war levels in the third year.

Anxiety and depression symptoms have remained elevated for large segments of the population.

While these figures document significant psychological strain within ‘Israel’, the scale of suffering in Gaza has been far more extensive and continuous.

Palestinian health authorities and international assessments report that the majority of Gaza’s population experiences severe mental health conditions amid prolonged bombardment, mass displacement, and the near-total collapse of health infrastructure.

One study found that 83.5 percent of surveyed adults in Gaza met thresholds for probable PTSD, 73 percent for moderate to severe depression, and 65 percent for anxiety, with more than half experiencing all three simultaneously.

Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported that 56 percent of young people meet criteria for PTSD, 57 percent experience moderate to severe depression, and nearly all feel continuous anxiety about their personal safety.

UNICEF and WHO assessments indicate that almost all of Gaza’s children require urgent mental health and psychosocial support after years of repeated displacement, loss of family members, destruction of homes and schools, and life under constant threat.

Psychological distress rates in longitudinal surveys of Gazan adults more than tripled between pre-escalation levels and early 2025.