The adverse effects on Israelis of the horrendous Hamas terrorist attacks, the subsequent wars in Gaza and elsewhere, and the loss of life, with the accompanying feeling that the troubles are far from ending, have been significant.
A sweeping national study conducted by the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH), at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) has shown a troubling rise in substance use, behavioral addictions, and mental health disorders among young and adult Israelis since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
It was one of the worst terror attacks in modern history, with more than 1,200 civilians and soldiers murdered and killed, 9,000 injured, and 250 hostages taken. The terror attacks led to the ongoing war in Gaza, with life-threatening situations, continuing traumatic exposures, and ongoing stressors. We have become a nation under chronic psychological stress, and not enough is being done to treat it, the authors wrote.
The 41-page report titled “Prevalence of Substance and Behavioral Addictions and Common Mental Health Disorders in Israel, 2022–2025,” presents data from three nationally representative samples collected before and after the crisis: April 2022 (pre-war), December 2023 (post-attack), and February 2025 (one year later).
The findings provide an unprecedented longitudinal look at the psychological effects of war and trauma across the general population.
Produced by a multidisciplinary team of ICAMH psychologists and mental health researchers, the report is authored by psychologist Dr. Dvora Shmulewitz, doctoral student Maor Levitin, Dr. Vera Skvirsky, Merav Vider, Prof. Shaul Lev-Ran, and Prof. Mario Mikulincer. The team controlled for age, gender, and religiosity across repeated samples.
The data reveal substantial increases in the consumption of opioid drugs that can become addictive but were not prescribed by doctors for physical pain; the taking of sedatives and cannabis; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety; and behavioral addictions such as overuse of the Internet and social media, and online gambling and pornography.
THE ANONYMOUS survey showed that problematic use of any substance or any behavior affected more than 15% of the population by early 2025. The highest increase in substance-related problems occurred between April 2022 and December 2023, coinciding with the immediate aftermath of the attacks and wartime mobilization.
Behavioral addictions rose significantly after October 7 but later receded, while others (notably sedative and opioid misuse) continued to rise into 2025.
Younger, secular populations are most at risk, said Shmulewitz in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Younger adults (aged 18 to 34) consistently showed the highest rates of addiction and mental health symptoms. Men were at greater risk than women for substance and behavioral addictions, particularly in areas like cannabis use, pornography, and compulsive sexual behavior. People are smoking more and taken more prescription sleeping pills, both of which are very harmful.
Secular and traditional Jews exhibited higher prevalence rates of PTSD than Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox (haredi) populations. Ultra-Orthodox participants, however, reported higher rates of prescription sedative use than their secular counterparts. “Belief in God and spirituality can help protect a person psychologically, but there are so many factors involved. Horrible events can make believers lose faith as well.”
One of the study’s most urgent findings is that some mental health indicators have not returned to lower levels that existed before October 7 – even more than a year after the onset of hostilities.
PTSD rates rose sharply after October 7, and they have remained higher in 2025. Symptoms of depression and anxiety followed a similar path, suggesting the persistence of wartime psychological burdens well beyond the peak of conflict. Behavioral addiction, however, normalized more quickly, Shmulewitz noted.
“People who were surveyed could have refused to tell the truth about their behavior, as in any survey,” she admitted, “but since it was completely anonymous and confidential, this is less likely. Many feel better after describing their problems. Monitoring the prevalence of addictions and other common mental health disorders in the general population during and after nationally traumatic events is important to understand the evolving mental health of the population and provide information and resources for potential interventions.”
There have been some studies carried out during the first eight months after October 7, but they left the longer-term trends unaddressed; different definitions of PTSD, anxiety, and depression were used; and none of them looked into problematic substance use or addictive behaviors, the team wrote.
“Most such research is conducted on soldiers,” the New York-born psychologist said. “Any resident can develop PTSD. If it’s not you, it could be a family member. We’ve all been under stress. The mental-health authorities and the
Health Ministry have to be aware of what’s happening from the bottom up.
“Israelis have to be helped to deal with it and to build their resilience,” Shmulewitz said. “Parents must learn how to give their youngsters the support they need and promote self-worth, and confidence. They must hear that being anxious in this situation is normal and no reason to feel stigma. They need a place to talk about it.”
Her specialty is investigating risk factors for substance and other behavioral addictions in both general and clinical populations, with the ultimate goal of providing information for evidence-based public policy and public health interventions to prevent negative consequences of addictions.
After earning a doctoral degree in molecular genetics from the famed Rockefeller University, she went on to post-doctoral training at Columbia University, focusing on statistical methods for analyzing genetic risk factors for complex disorders, after which she became an assistant professor there and a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Unfortunately, there are not enough psychologists in public institutions to counsel those who are suffering, Shmulewitz continued. “When patients go to their personal physician for routine blood work or to nurses for vaccinations, they should be asked if they have been suffering emotionally since October 7 and if they have taken on any addictions or other negative behavior.”
Tragically, eight soldiers and reservists committed suicide in July alone. “Professionals who identify major changes in patients’ behavior are usually afraid to ask if they’re thinking of ending their life because it could plant the idea in their heads, she said, but the topic should be broached, because it shows that someone cares about them.”
She welcomed the news that volunteer organizations have supplied more than 100 service/therapy dogs to soldiers and residents of settlements near Gaza to alleviate their PTSD. “Dogs detect symptoms and hug their owners when they appear. The pets provide unconditional love that has a healing effect.”
There were also reports that small amounts of psychedelic drugs relieved PTSD symptoms in survivors of the Hamas attack on the Nova festival. More studies are needed to see if this has a beneficial effect, she concluded.