Occupied Jerusalem- New data issued by the National Institute for Health Policy Research on resilience and mental health in Israel during the war on Gaza reveals a bleak picture of the effects of the sudden attack launched by the Palestinian resistance on the “Gaza envelope” settlements and southern towns on October 7th. , on the mental and psychological health of Israelis.
This data was revealed during the special conference held on the eve of the end of the third month of the war, where the head of the Mental Health Association in Israeli Society, Dr. Ido Luria, reviewed data that expects up to 625,000 people in Israel to suffer from psychological damage, as a result of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle. And the ensuing war on the Gaza Strip.
According to a preliminary assessment conducted by a research group in cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Columbia University, between 60 and 80 thousand people may develop symptoms of linear and permanent mental retardation due to the shock of the sudden attack and war, and up to 550 thousand people will suffer from various psychological diseases and crises. This is according to the Israeli National Trauma Council, and the McKinsey report issued by it.
The newspaper “Israel Hayom” quoted Dr. Luria as saying, “There are no data and studies on how to deal with such psychological and mental repercussions. We are talking about an event that is unique in its scope and characteristics, and it is a massive attack. This is an ongoing psychological emergency. However, the The majority of the population in Israel will recover from the shock.”
Increasing numbers
The data indicate a 50% increase in diagnoses of anxiety disorders, a 45% increase in PTSD diagnoses, a 7% increase in the use of anti-anxiety and depression medications, and an 8.4% increase in the use of sleep medications, as witnessed in the past two months. 25% increase in the number of referrals to mental health and psychological services.
The professional director of the Eran Psychological First Aid Support Line, Dr. Sherry Daniels, reported a jump in the number of referrals for psychological treatments, as 88,000 requests for psychological treatment have been registered since the beginning of the war.
There was an increase in the number of applications from men, including regular soldiers and reservists, with 45% of applications being from men, compared to the third quarter of the year before the war, according to Dr Daniels.
The mental health system is in crisis
In light of the widening shock among Israelis, the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, spoke during the conference about a plan to expand the mental health system at a cost of two billion shekels ($550 million), in acknowledgment of its lack of preparedness for any emergency.
This was reviewed by the website “Zaman Yisrael” through a report entitled “The war threw the mental health system into a crisis,” which revealed that countless Israelis are in need of mental health care, at a time when the public mental health system still lacks thousands of people. Psychiatrists.
Psychologist Dr. Hadas Shahrabani Sidon says, “I have been working for 20 hours a day since the start of the war, most of which is volunteer work.” Dr. Sidon and thousands of psychiatrists move between hospitals and hotels, providing first psychological aid to survivors of battles and sudden attacks, to the families of the dead, detained and wounded, and those displaced from their homes. Due to bombing and battle trauma.
Speaking to the Zaman Yisrael website, the psychologist says, “People come out of shelters disintegrated and in a state of shock. They sit in the corner of the hotel and remain silent,” adding, “We work around the clock with the staff and volunteers in the psychological first aid hotline.”
Dr. Sidon says, “The psychological aid hotline receives more than 3,000 calls per day, compared to 700-800 calls on a normal day, and about 1,500 calls per day during the Corona pandemic.”
According to the psychologist, “mental health events are like a ripple that spreads. For every direct casualty in war, there are dozens of indirect casualties, and for many victims, distress erupts retroactively.”
Sidon adds, “The soldiers who are currently on duty will return to their homes suffering from psychological symptoms, and therefore the number of people who will need help and psychological treatment will continue to increase after the event ends.”
Prolonged stress
“Everyone in Israel has their own October 7,” says Professor Gil Salzman, director of the Giaha Center for Mental Health in Israel and head of the National Council for Suicide Prevention. “At first I thought this was another security incident, and it would pass in a few hours.” “But I later understood that it was an unusual event.”
Regarding post-traumatic stress disorder following the sudden attack and war, Salzman says, “This event was sudden, and the disturbance numbers will be high. I am talking about people who were there, who were at risk to their lives, or those who thought they were in danger or witnessed the event.”
The Israeli professor explained that “studies conducted in countries that witnessed such disasters indicate that between 6% and 11% of the population suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder,” pointing out that “the situation in Israel is similar to, or even more dangerous than, the events that took place around it.” Studies.
He added, “Every day, new stories are revealed in Israel. The large-scale mobilization of reserve forces, the evacuation of residents from their homes, the continued barrage of rockets, and the concern for detainees, all of this creates a painful state of prolonged tension.”
Salzman says, “In addition to all this is the feeling of helplessness, after the failure of the state systems that the Israeli public trusted and which failed them, hours of cries for help that did not come, many missing persons who were not identified and diagnosed, a feeling of sadness and confusion, and all of these are post-traumatic stress disorder.” “It may escalate to the point of suicide.”
Declaring a state of emergency
In anticipation of the expansion of the phenomenon of suicide among Israelis, and in light of the unprecedented rise in the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, referrals for psychological treatment, and the state of near collapse in which the mental health system exists in the country, the Forum of Directors of Mental Health Centers called for declaring a state of emergency in the field of mental health in the country. Israel.
This request came to the forum in an official letter sent to Israeli State Comptroller Netanyahu Engelman. The letter stated, “We are witnessing a rise in rates of mental illness, suicide cases, and treatment in emergency departments in hospitals in miserable and inhumane conditions. This situation reflects complete inability on our part.” .
The directors of mental health centers added in the letter, “We are unable to provide treatment and appropriate response to urgent needs and cases and diagnose the huge number of daily trends, and we are unable to do anything. We ask you to use your powers in order to save the mental health of the citizens of Israel.”
The directors of the centers estimated that in the first two months of the war, 300,000 cases of people suffering from various psychological crises were diagnosed, and they suggested that there are hundreds of thousands who have not yet been diagnosed, due to the inability of the mental health system to provide services to this huge number of people, stressing that fighting and war have consequences. And potential mental health repercussions.
Forum members noted in their letter that the fighting and ground incursion into the Gaza Strip could also have an impact on mental health. “As a result of the fighting in the Gaza Strip, we are already witnessing a tens of percent increase in demand for mental health services, even among soldiers. The results are difficult and dramatic.” “Alarmingly, we are seeing a high level of psychological morbidity and suicides.”