Israeli experts say suicide rate in Israel could rise due to war - Israel News

Professionals who receive daily emergency calls from the Israeli population warn that in light of the continuation of wars in Gaza, Lebanon and beyondThey expect an increase in suicide risk, as shown by studies conducted after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, which affected Americans personally much less than the current war against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

A new study conducted and analyzed by the University of Haifa, the ERAN (Emotional First Aid), Tel Aviv University (TAU), the College of Management Academic Studies at Rishon Lezion, and Columbia University in New York, found that in the first days after October 7, there was a decrease in the number of suicide calls received at ERAN response centers. However, there was a sharp increase in conversations in contexts of common psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression and trauma.

Data including more than 600,000 calls to the ERAN helpline was examined, comparing the 20 months before October 7 with the three months after. Changes in suicide rates after a national trauma may differ from changes in psychiatric symptoms or general distress after such events. However, very few studies have examined suicide-related reactions in the short term after such an event, they wrote.

The number of calls for general psychological problems increased from 67,555 in the three months before the attack to 89,445 calls in the three months after.

“In contrast, there was a decrease in suicide calls from 1,887 calls in the three months before the war to a total of 1,663 calls in the three months after. Although mental distress increased, no short-term increase in suicide risk was observed in the days following October 7, indicating that suicide is not necessarily an immediate response to large-scale traumatic events,” said Dr. Joy Benatov from the Special Branch. education department of the University of Haifa who led the research. It has just been published in the prestigious scientific journal JAMA Psychiatry under the title “Suicidality Calls to a National Helpline After a Terror Attack and War.”

Destroyed houses from the October 7 massacre almost a year ago, in kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel, September 19, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

What does the study say?

The new research shows that the overall number of suicide calls decreased in the three months that followed October 7 compared to the three-month period before the outbreak of war. In contrast, there was a sharp increase in the number of emergency calls received after October 7, underscoring the increase in general mental distress in the months following the murderous attack. Furthermore, the pattern has reversed over time, as general spiritual distress immediately increased on October 7. In the following months there was a downward trend; then the suicide risk index decreased and gradually began to increase.

Now, more than a year after the start of the Iron Sword War and the terrible attack on southern Israel, followed by a devastating war front opened in the north and a serious risk of war with Iran, the professionals are concerned about the serious psychological consequences since the end. of the crisis is not visible.

Previous studies have reported an increase in emotional distress following national traumas, with suicide rates decreasing in the short term following these events. While the latter is typically attributed to the experiences of connection and social support that characterize national trauma, it may also reflect a self-preservation response to an acute threat (fight-or-flight response).

In later stages, when the threat diminishes or becomes chronic, the initial response may be replaced by experiences that trigger suicidality (despair and deprivation of mental resources), increasing the risk of suicide. Such a trajectory was found in a study of calls to a New York City hotline (LifeNet) in the months following the September 11 attacks, which found an increase in calls for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms; however, the number of calls related to depression did not increase until later, after a few months.

In the current study, the team of researchers, which also included Dr. Liat Itzhaky, TAU psychiatrist Dr. Shiri Daniels and Prof. Gil Zalsman, sought to investigate the effect of the October 7 events on suicide risk in the region. general population in Israel. Data was used for this purpose, including more than 600,000 calls to ERAN’s helpline, comparing the twenty months before October 7 and the three months after.

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Daniels, the national professional director of the ERAN association and head of the educational consulting program at the College of Management, said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that “suicide is a complex result of a combination of mental, social and environmental factors that integrate with each other.” . Each case is unique and cannot be reduced to a single factor. It is important to avoid drawing a one-dimensional relationship between a particular event and suicide, as this can be misrepresented as a ‘logical’ or legitimate response to a difficult situation.

“Suicide arises from deep mental suffering and its understanding requires broad observation of the person’s mental state. Since an increase in suicides may be a delayed response to the powerful national trauma that war brings, we must prepare for this in advance and strengthen various mental health services to create accessible and effective treatment pathways.”

The attacks on New York and Washington were horrific and traumatic, but did not affect all Americans personally and quickly ended – unlike the situation in Israel for more than a year – the hostages, hundreds of soldiers killed and thousands of wounded, hundreds of civilians . massacred or killed by terrorist attacks and missiles, and more. We live in constant war and terror.

“Israelis are facing external enemies, and they are keeping us busy,” Daniels said. “But we have to be prepared for an increase in suicides here. That’s already 500 a year, like a jumbo jet falling from the sky. There is a ‘National Suicide Prevention Plan’, but it is not supported by sufficient professional staff and financial resources. The death toll is higher than traffic accidents, and it also includes young people, even teenagers, lonely people and the elderly.

Men are more likely to take their own lives because they have more access to violent means, while women are more likely to attempt but not follow through because they are more likely to seek help. Many authorities, including the Ministries of Health, Social Affairs and Education, as well as voluntary organizations, need to be involved. The need for emotional help is now very great.”

“One of the possible reasons for the decrease in the number of suicidal conversations in the immediate period after October 7 is the increased social cohesion that sometimes exists in the early stages of a national crisis. This effect is called the ‘pull’ in the professional literature. joint effect’, and it contributes to a reduction in suicide risk,’ the authors wrote.

“However, other explanations are also possible, including the fact that the effect of increasing social cohesion decreases as the crises continue. And in light of the continuation of the war and the national crisis, we expect an increase in suicide risk, as we saw in the studies conducted after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon in the US 23 years ago,” the spokesperson said. Benatov.

The researchers noted that the current study covered the general population in Israel, but that there are also specific groups who are at increased risk during national crises or wars, including veterans, trauma survivors and members of the primary auxiliary forces, such as ZAKA -personnel who removed corpses or pathologists who assisted in their identification.

ERAN provides an immediate, anonymous, life-saving emotional first aid service. It can be reached on 1201 and on the ERAN website on or via WhatsApp, email and text messages.