Approximately three million adults in Israel suffer from anxiety, depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
By Rachel Avraham
Sarah Edelstein, a therapist based in Ra’anana, noted that first the October 7th massacre and then the Gaza war has given her a lot of work: “A lot of people are having anxiety attacks and this influences the body and psyche. These anxiety attacks are caused by various triggers. I have people who were in the army in the past but are now triggered by the war. I have one client that fought in Lebanon in the past who gets up shivering with anxiety attacks and lacks appetite, as if he is always prepared for battle. It invites him to speak about what happened in the past. Even couples are coming to me for they feel the stress and it resurfaces old issues. Everyone’s psyche has a lot of stress these days.”
Saadat Sukurova, a resident of Netanya, concurred: “First of all, what happened on October 7 was not the first time something like this happened for me. When I lived in Azerbaijan, the same thing happened there in Khojaly. It was almost the same thing. What happened in Khojaly was very painful for me. I felt I could not continue to live in Azerbaijan, so I came to Israel.”
She continued: “But now, the same thing happened here on October 7. It very much hurts me. Also I got two boys in the army. I got a son in Gaza who sees everything. It hurts me to listen to him and think about his health. Everything he says to me is a trauma. Also my daughter works for Magen David Adom. Every day, people invite in ambulances and she goes to houses of Arabs. It is very dangerous for her. Every second, something can happen with the Arabs. I thought that Khojaly would be the end, but it was not. To be a mother with two boys in the army is very difficult. Any minute I fear I can get bad news.”
Sivan Gamliel, a resident of Bat Yam, told Israel Today: “The most difficult part was when I was pregnant in this situation. I was in stress and suffered from anxiety. The fact I was pregnant made it worse for I feared that my anxiety would hurt the baby. I feared a lot because of the rockets and not the terrorists for I live far from the Gaza vicinity. But there were a lot of rockets. My husband, who is a police officer, did work in the Gaza vicinity and I feared for him. I struggled to sleep for I feared that something would happen to my husband. Every moment, I read the news in order to know what happened. I feared for my baby and was all the time worried that I would miscarry.”
Pnina Suissa, a resident of Nahariya, stated: “What happened on October 7 influenced everyone. I went out on trips less and buy less. It is a very difficult situation emotionally. People are tired. It is not quiet. For much of the war, we heard rockets all the time. Whenever I woke up, there was bomb sirens and then we run to the bomb shelter. I work in a school with children. When there was a siren in the middle of the school day, it was difficult for the children and they cry. We work hard to try and calm down the children.”
The Jerusalem Post recently reported that a third of pregnant women have experienced post-partum depression during the war, while “research from Tel Aviv University indicates that approximately 12% of reserve soldiers report multiple PTSD symptoms – a dramatic rise compared to the 4%–6% observed during regular service, and more than double the 8% measured six months after discharge.”
Dorit Bilitfal, the chair of the Board of Directors at Benafshenu – The Israeli Center for Mental Health & Social Support, founded by Amcha, recently wrote in the Jerusalem Post: “These are not two separate crises but one national crisis that demands urgent, systemic attention. The connection between the distress of new mothers and that of soldiers is no coincidence. National trauma affects us all, but it especially harms vulnerable populations.”
Simultaneously, JNS reported that Ben-Gurion University conducted a study, where they found that nearly half of young adults in Israel, who constitute the main group of people serving in the army and getting pregnant, now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the study, PTSD rates among young adults aged 18-24 soared from 25% before the war to 42% after it began, JNS noted.
At the same time, the Times of Israel reported that following the October 7th massacre and during the subsequent war, approximately 3 million people among the adult population had experienced anxiety, depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. If these people do not receive proper psychological treatment, these statistics can transform into a national crisis.
Studies on veterans have found that untreated PTSD can lead to anger management problems and high levels of aggression, which strains one’s relationships with loved ones, leading to social isolation and loneliness. This can lead many people who suffer from PTSD who are not in treatment to struggle to work and hold down a job, which implies that a high level of untreated PTSD amongst the Israeli population could raise the level of unemployment, thus affecting poverty levels within the country.
PTSD is known to be linked to an increase in suicidal thoughts, behaviors, ideas and actual suicides. In fact, a study in Sweden found that people diagnosed with PTSD are twice as likely to commit suicide as people who were not diagnosed with PTSD. This means that a high level of PTSD within Israel if left untreated could increase the number of Israelis committing suicide.
People who suffer from PTSD are also more likely to engage in substance abuse of drugs and alcohol. Thus, a higher level of PTSD among the Israeli population if left untreated could lead to an increase in the number of people abusing alcohol and drugs, which can be fatal also for the general population if combined with driving. Additionally, untreated PTSD is likely to lead to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, amongst other physical health problems. Thus, with an increase in the number of people suffering from PTSD, if not given proper treatment, the general health of the Israeli population will significantly deteriorate. Given this, it is of utmost importance that the State of Israel consider psychological treatment for PTSD to be a national priority. Otherwise, the terrorism wins and Israeli society self-destructs from within.
