Emergency psychiatric visits by children in Israel rise 121% — Al Jazeera

In Israel, the number of children and adolescents seeking emergency psychiatric care has risen by 121% compared with the period before the start of the war. Al Jazeera cites data from a Clalit Health Services study based on records of approximately 5 million members of the system.

According to the National Mental Health Barometer, prepared by the Clalit research institute and the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, one in five Israelis reported serious difficulties in everyday life due to mental health problems. A third of the population felt they needed mental health assistance, half of respondents said their mental state affected their leisure time, and 35% reported difficulties in forming and maintaining close relationships.

Anxiety and disruption of everyday life

Psychiatrist Eric Vermetten of Leiden University Medical Center noted that repeated attacks, sirens and displacement make people link ordinary decisions — including those concerning sleep, their children's education and plans for the next day — to questions of safety. According to him, constant vigilance disrupts sleep, impairs concentration and may increase anxiety, irritability and alienation.

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Edgar Jones, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London, said that people adapt differently to prolonged conflict. At the same time, the loss of a loved one or the destruction of housing can lead to post-traumatic conditions or depression.

Data on military personnel

Israeli parliamentary data recorded 279 suicide attempts among military personnel from January 2024 to July 2025. In 2024, service members in combat units accounted for 78% of suicide deaths in the military. This statistic does not include veterans who died by suicide after completing their service.

Vermetten cautioned that suicide should not be regarded as an inevitable consequence of war, but conflict, loss and isolation can increase the vulnerability of military personnel. The report also recalls that about 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.