Three years after October 7, mental health services report a shift in Israelis' distress
In the first six days of October, SAHAR saw a 25% increase in conversations compared to the first six days of September. Depressive mood, loneliness and feelings of hopelessness were prominent themes
New data from SAHAR, Online Mental Support, which provides free emotional support online in Israel, shows the psychological toll of the war remains significant three years after October 7, even as the nature of the distress changes. The overall volume of conversations with the service has more than doubled compared with the pre-war period.
Trauma and war-related issues saw the sharpest increase in the first year, rising more than tenfold from pre-war levels. The increase has gradually moderated, but such conversations remained 3.6 times higher than before the war in the third year.
Other forms of distress have persisted or intensified. In the third year, conversations involving bereavement and loss rose 82%, while those involving financial difficulties increased 46% compared with the pre-war period. Difficulty accessing medical or mental health care rose 92%, one of the sharpest increases. Conversations involving depression and sadness were up 21%.
SAHAR CEO Inbar Shenfeld said the distress "has not disappeared," but is changing. "Alongside trauma and the war itself, we are encountering more bereavement and loss, financial difficulties and difficulties accessing mental health care," she said.
"These are not always things you can see from the outside," Shenfeld added. "People can continue working, raising children and maintaining a routine while coping with a significant emotional burden."
SAHAR will present the findings on Sunday at a Hebrew-language webinar titled "Circles of Connection – The Hidden Layers." It will examine less visible psychological and social effects of the past three years, with mental health experts including clinical psychologist Prof. Yossi Levi-Belz and Dr. Amir Blumenfeld, chairman of SAHAR's board.
The data suggest that while the immediate trauma of October 7 and the war remains present, prolonged uncertainty and loss have brought other pressures to the forefront, from grief and financial strain to growing difficulty in accessing care.