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One in five Israelis continues to experience severe disruption to daily life because of mental health difficulties nearly three years after the October 7 attacks, a national study tracking the psychological impact of the war has found.
While most Israelis are recovering from the ordeal of October 7, a significant proportion continues to experience persistent distress, according to the latest National Mental Health Barometer, conducted by Clalit Health Services’ Research Institute and the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute.
About 20 per cent of Israelis suffer severe impairment in daily functioning, with no decline in this figure between October 2024 and May 2026, despite a reduction in symptoms, the findings, based on a representative sample of the population, show.
About 15 per cent of respondents reported the highest level of exposure to trauma, meaning they had been present during the October 7 attacks or subsequent terror attacks, or that someone close to them had been killed, injured or abducted. The researchers described this as an unprecedented level of exposure compared with other national trauma events.
Women aged 18 to 35 reported the highest levels of impairment, with 32 per cent affected, compared with 19 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women over 35.
The impact was particularly pronounced when it came to social functioning: over one third of respondents (35 per cent) reported that they struggled to form or maintain close relationships.
About a third of those surveyed said they needed mental health treatment, but roughly half of those people have not sought help. Among people who had experienced significant post-traumatic stress symptoms, more than 60 per cent continued to report substantial symptoms.
Professor Ran Balicer, head of innovation at Clalit, said psychological distress was becoming chronic for a significant proportion of the population, accompanied by deep functional impairment.
Hadar Samuel of the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute said relationships with family and the community, along with social connections, were vital to resilience, alongside expanding access to mental health services.
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