Israel: Requests for psychological treatment tripled since October

The number of Israelis who sought mental health assistance has tripled since the beginning of Israel’s ruthless war on the besieged Gaza Strip on 7 October until the end of 2023, reaching about 18,000 people, Israel’s KAN broadcaster reported.

At the beginning of this year, the Eurasia journal published a joint study by the Ruppin Academic Centre in Israel and Columbia University which examined the impact of 7 October on mental health in Israel.

The study revealed that 29 per cent of Israelis suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 42 per cent suffered from depression and 44 per cent suffered from anxiety in the weeks following the attack which is nearly double the number recorded two months before the attack.

Israeli media has previously revealed an increase in cases of psychological trauma among Israelis since October.

The Aran Association for Psychological Assistance witnessed a peak of 100,000 requests for psychological assistance from different groups and ages in that period, according to the Israeli newspaper Maariv.

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, ten soldiers have committed suicide since October, some during battles with Hamas fighters in the Israeli towns around Gaza.

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