New findings from a longitudinal study conducted by the Center for Research on Suicide and Mental Pain Studies at Ruppin Academic Center reveal stark differences in mental health between the general Israeli population and those directly exposed to the traumatic events of the October 7 massacre. The research highlights a significant disparity in rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety . Two months after the war outbreak, preliminary findings showed high rates of mental health disorders among the general population, which have since declined.
In November, PTSD affected 29.8% of the population, dropping to 22.8% by June.
Similarly, depression rates decreased from 44.3% to 26.2%, and anxiety from 41.
4% to 25.2%. 2 View gallery Nova music festival site after Hamas' attack ( Photo: Yuval Chen ) However, the study shows a pronounced gap between those directly impacted by Hamas' attack and those who were not.
Among the directly affected, 38.5% are dealing with PTSD, compared to 18.3% of the unaffected population.
Depression affects 44.7% of the exposed group versus 23.3% of the non-exposed.
"Our study indicates that it’s very important we don’t forget the people who are still stuck on October 7," said Prof. Yossi Levi-Belz, head of the Center for Research on Suicide and Mental Pain Studies. 2 View gallery ( Photo: Shutterstock ) "While Israeli society is returning to a reasonable mental state, not everyone is experiencing this change.
A dramatic gap is emerging between the general .