Since October 7, the ERAN voluntary emotional first aid organization has received 172,000 calls and online requests for help from people suffering from anxiety, stress, and psychological trauma – about 33,000 per month.
About 44,000 were received by phone and via the Internet just in the first month after the murderous invasion by Hamas terrorists and the war that Israel launched against them in response.
On October 7 alone, ERAN received over 3,500 calls with a very high level of distress, compared to about 500 calls on a normal day. The daily average of inquiries since the outbreak of the war has been 920.
As the war progressed, there was an increase in distress calls from male and female soldiers in regular service and in the reserves. Most of the calls (41%) were received in the age range of 18 to 35 – which coincides with the age of most of those who are serving in the military. There was also a 125% increase in the number of distress calls among teenagers and young people under the age of 17 in the first weeks of the war.
Increase of 950% in inquiries regarding mental health
ERAN reported a sharp increase of 950% in inquiries about anxiety, trauma, and loss compared to the previous half year. As the war progressed, there was an increase in calls involving depression, acute mental distress and loneliness.
During the last six months, over 38,000 distress calls (22% of the total) have been received from children and young people up to the age of 24. Of these, 60% were girls and 40% were boys. The main reasons for calling were anxiety and trauma.
Out of the total number of referrals received by the emotional first aid group since October 7, there has been a 10% increase among men compared to previous years.
ERAN Director-General David Koren said that his organization is on the ‘front line’ of psychological aid in the country. “It has marked an imaginary redline between the period before the war and the period after it,” he said.
“The mental health crisis that we observed at the beginning of the events is here – and it is hitting hard. This is a crisis that requires systemic, national, budgetary, and long-term professional treatment. We call on all decision-makers and stakeholders in the field of mental health to mobilize together with us and help all Israeli citizens in the battle for the mind.”
Dr. Shiri Daniels, ERAN’s national professional director, added that “in Israel, life is conducted under constant stress, and the exposure to traumatic events occurs in waves and sharp transitions between routine and emergency and back again. Our unique service is adapted to the needs of the Israeli public and enables quick transitions between routine response to routine emergencies and short-term or long-term emergency situations, while adjusting the scope of the service and its availability to a growing number of applicants.
“It is important to remember that those who turn to the ERAN have shown strength and resilience in their appeal for assistance in times of distress,” she said. “Not everyone in Israeli society will necessarily need psychological treatment, but each of us needs support.”
When there are constant terrorist incidents, military operations, security crises, and during periods of escalation, the organization switches to conducting itself in an emergency format while increasing the number of volunteers on day and night shifts in accordance with the increasing distress requests.
Appeals for aid were unusual by any measure compared to normal times and previous emergencies, and included calls for help from Israeli families living close to Gaza and the South. There have been thousands of calls from citizens from all over the country who are staying in shelters under the threat of missiles and the fear of infiltration, and from parents and friends who are worried about the safety of their loved ones who have lost contact with them or were called up into the reserves.
During the first months of the war, alongside the existing 1,750 trained volunteers who enlisted in the national mission, about 150 “reserve” volunteers were recruited who returned to the association’s ranks due to the state of emergency. Seven new volunteer training courses have been opened in the process.