A mental-health time bomb: Two million at risk in the occupied territories

Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addiction have risen among residents of the occupied territories, and experts warn of long-term social consequences unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet takes immediate action.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli regime is facing a “mental-health tsunami,” with two million residents of the occupied territories now requiring support due to surging addiction rates and the breakdown of families and communities.

In a recent mental-health report on the occupied territories, mental-health specialists warned that the number of people requiring psychological support has risen sharply since the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023.

At the same time, there is a severe shortage of therapists and support services—a situation experts warn could lead to disastrous consequences.

Last week, a coalition of eight major mental-health organizations issued an urgent warning to Netanyahu’s cabinet, describing conditions in the occupied territories as “an unprecedented outbreak of mental illness in both depth and scale.”

The groups called the crisis “catastrophic” and demanded immediate intervention by the cabinet.

According to the coalition, Israeli society is exhibiting clear signs of widespread psychological distress.

The prolonged period of conflict and trauma has left many residents of the occupied territories grappling with depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and exhaustion.

Families and communities have been deeply affected, and the groups warn that the crisis has not yet peaked.

They warn of “deep, long-term collective trauma” and a growing collapse in the sense of public safety and trust—conditions that will likely affect future generations.

The coalition stated: “The psychological state of Israeli society is at a low point we have never seen before.”

Data published by Yedioth Ahronoth show a sharp rise in mental-health issues across the occupied territories.

Diagnoses of depression and anxiety in 2024 were nearly double the recorded cases in 2013. Diagnoses of PTSD increased by 70 percent each month from October 2023 to the end of 2024, with 23,600 new patients added.

Nearly half of the residents of the occupied territories now report persistent sadness. Calls to mental-health hotlines have increased six-fold, while the use of psychiatric medications has doubled. Sleep disorders have risen by 19 percent during the war.

A study by Clalit Health Services and the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute found that one in five residents of the occupied territories suffers from severe functional impairment due to mental-health problems.

Data from the Israeli Ministry of Health show a 25 percent increase in therapy sessions since the war on Gaza began.

Short-term psychotherapy cases have skyrocketed by 471 percent, reaching 20,000 cases in 2024—compared to roughly 3,500 in 2022.

However, these numbers reflect only the treatments actually provided; the organizations within the mental-health coalition say the true situation is far worse.

A professor at the University of Haifa said clinics are reporting sharp increases in depression, anxiety, addiction, marital problems, and regressive behaviors among children.

He said that now one in four people is at risk of addiction—compared to one in ten in 2018.

Netanyahu cabinet’s response

The head of the Israeli Psychiatric Association warned that urgent investment in rehabilitation is necessary.

He stated that without investment in psychological rehabilitation, the Israeli regime will, within two or three years, pay higher costs in lost workdays, family and community instability, and reduced work performance.

The Israeli Ministry of Health has announced a nationwide rescue plan that includes doubling the number of psychologists, improving salaries, upgrading psychiatric wards, and expanding home-based and community services. The plan is estimated to cost 1.7 billion shekels (about USD 517 million).

Senior clinical physicians emphasize that the changes must be extensive. An educational psychologist and the head of the Israeli Psychologists’ Association criticized the reliance on trainee “mental-health assistants” who receive only three months of training—compared to eight years for fully qualified professionals.

He stated that the system is overwhelmed: “You can’t put a bandage on a bleeding wound; the mental-health system needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.”