Mental Trauma Post-October 7th Manifests Physically, Affecting Israelis

Three years after the October 7th Hamas attack, the psychological trauma is increasingly manifesting in physical health problems across Israel, according to a report by Clalit Health Services, which insures over half the country's population. The data, covering October 2023 to September 2026 and compared to the two preceding years, reveals a nation in post-traumatic stress, with mental distress translating into bodily ailments.

In the first year of the war, new diagnoses of anxiety rose by 45.5% and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses doubled in the general population. These trends have persisted throughout the three years, with referrals to community mental health services increasing by 20% to 28%.

Displaced residents from the Gaza border communities experienced significantly higher rates. New PTSD diagnoses surged 18-fold in the first year, remained 11 times higher in the second, and were still 6 times higher in the third year compared to baseline. Anxiety diagnoses increased tenfold, and sleep disorder diagnoses rose 2.5-fold in the first year.

Children and adolescents bore the brunt, with psychiatric emergency room visits increasing by 78.3% in the second year and 121.3% in the third. Pediatricians' referrals to mental health services rose by 52.1%. Among displaced children from the south, distress led to a 47.8% increase in prescriptions for nighttime enuresis medication. Blood pressure control worsened by 30% to 53.7% among these displaced individuals over the three years, compared to just 2.5% in the general population.

New diagnoses of high cholesterol and blood fats increased by approximately 20% nationwide and about 60% among displaced residents from the north. Preventive medicine saw a decline, with up to a 7.5% drop in mammograms for displaced women from the north and a 2.5% to 3.5% decrease in colon cancer screening for displaced individuals from the south and north.

Notably, heart attacks and strokes did not show a significant increase, with emergency room visits for these conditions even decreasing by 5.1%. However, Dr. Anda Eilam, Director of the Neurological Department at Kaplan Medical Center, cautioned that the impact of changes in risk factor management "may accumulate over time." The healthcare system itself has adapted, with a significant rise in telemedicine, which doctors attribute to partially curbing the decline. Primary care in-person visits dropped by about 13%, while telephone consultations increased by approximately 36% overall and by about 50% among displaced populations.