Israel's Health System Faces Lingering War Trauma Three Years On

Three years after the October 7th attacks, Israel's health system is still grappling with the profound physical and mental health consequences of the war, according to a report released by Clalit Health Services. The report, analyzing data from October 2023 to September 2026 for approximately five million insured individuals, found that while some health indicators remain stable, many war-related impacts have not diminished.

Mental health issues are particularly persistent. Clalit Director General Professor Eitan Wertheim stated, "The war does not end when the direct military event concludes. It leaves a mark on people's health." Nationally, new diagnoses of anxiety disorders rose by 45.5% in the first year of the war, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses doubled. Even three years later, outpatient mental health services are seeing a 20-28% increase in referrals and visits. For residents evacuated from southern Israel, the situation is more severe, with PTSD diagnoses remaining six times higher than pre-war levels in the third year, and anxiety disorder diagnoses ten times higher in the first year, alongside a 358% increase in sleep disorder diagnoses.

Children and adolescents have shown a significant increase in seeking psychiatric care, with emergency room visits for psychiatric issues more than doubling by the third year of the war. Referrals of children to mental health services by pediatricians increased by 52.1%, and anxiety disorder diagnoses among children rose by 40-70%. For children from families evacuated from southern Israel, psychological stress manifested physically, leading to a 47.8% increase in prescriptions for medication used to treat nocturnal enuresis by the third year.

Physical health has also been affected, especially among evacuated populations. Evacuees from southern Israel experienced a 30-53.7% rise in uncontrolled high blood pressure, compared to a 2.5% increase nationally. New diagnoses of high cholesterol and other blood lipids increased by approximately 60% among evacuated residents from the north, and about 20% overall. Dr. Avital Margalit, Head of the Galilee Administration of Clalit's Northern District, attributed some of these physical health issues to significant lifestyle and dietary changes, including emotional overeating and reduced physical activity, but noted that medical teams' continuous engagement may have mitigated worse outcomes.

Remote medicine saw a surge, with phone consultations increasing by about 36% nationally, and remote consultations rising by approximately 50% for evacuated residents. However, preventive care suffered, with a decrease in mammograms and colorectal cancer screenings among evacuated women and residents from the north and south. Despite the rise in risk factors, there was no statistically significant increase in heart attacks or strokes nationally, though doctors caution that the effects of risk factor changes may manifest over time. Emergency room visits decreased nationally by about 5%, but increased among evacuated residents from the north due to disrupted routines and limited access to care. Conversely, children's visits to regular emergency rooms decreased, partly because they were less exposed to infectious diseases due to school closures and experienced fewer injuries from activities like scooter riding.