Israel hit by ‘mental health tsunami’ after two years of Gaza assault

Israel is struggling with what specialists describe as "mental health tsunami" with an estimated two million people now requiring psychological support.

An Israeli news outlet quoted mental health workers as saying that the country has been experiencing a steep rise in distress and illness since October 7, 2023, while treatment resources remain severely limited.

The report, published on Friday, highlights warnings from clinicians who say the demand for care has surged far beyond the system’s capacity. They point to growing addiction rates, rising strain within families and communities, and widespread emotional instability across the population.

Eight leading mental health organisations issued a joint alert to the government last week, calling the situation an “outbreak of mental illness unprecedented in its depth and scope”.

In their message to authorities, the groups described the crisis as “catastrophic” and urged immediate state action to prevent further deterioration. They said Israeli society is displaying clear signs of “widespread psychological distress”.

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According to the coalition, long periods of conflict have left many people struggling with anxiety, depressive symptoms, exhaustion and intrusive thoughts. The organisations added that families are breaking down under emotional pressure and that communities are showing signs of severe strain.

Figures published by Yedioth Ahronoth show alarming nationwide trends. Rates of depression and anxiety diagnoses in 2024 were twice as high as those recorded in 2013. Between October 2023 and the end of 2024, PTSD diagnoses grew by 70 percent each month, adding 23,600 new patients.

Nearly half the population now reports symptoms linked to lasting grief. Calls to mental health hotlines have multiplied sixfold, while psychiatric medication use has doubled. Ministry of Health data also show a 19 percent increase in sleep disorders during the war and a 25 percent jump in therapy sessions since 7 October.

Short-term psychotherapy cases rose dramatically, reaching 20,000 in 2024, compared with 3,500 in 2022 — a 471 percent increase. Organisations involved in the coalition say these figures represent only those who received treatment, and that the true scale is much larger.