'Tis the season – the blazing sun and summer heat gave way to yellow leaves and colder weather, followed by the holiday season. But for Israelis, October marks a somber milestone – an entire year has passed since Hamas' deadly attack on Oct. 7, an attack that has changed our lives as we knew them forever.

As Israel commemorates Oct. 7's first anniversary, the war is far from over. 101 hostages are still held in Gaza for over 365 days, Israel has commenced its ground offensive on the northern front, citizens are still displaced and rockets are still piercing Israel's skies, with Iran's unprecedented ballistic missile attack being the "icing on the cake." 

And yet, after all this chaos, somehow the world continues to spin; the sun continues to shine; and Israelis move forward. For a whole year, we have been burdened with balancing a continuous existential threat with a need to maintain somewhat of a routine. What makes us such "experts" in doing that?  

As a matter of fact, we have been burdened with this task for generations, and according to Digital Psychologist Liraz Margalit, this is precisely the secret to Israeli society's resilience.

"This is an ability that has developed in us gradually. If I compare the pace of events in Israel to the rest of the world, it's no wonder we have news every half hour – the volatility here is unlike anywhere else," she explained.  "When you're exposed to such an environment from a young age, you learn to cope with such events, both big and small." 

Essentially, what Margalit is saying is it's as if our entire lives have prepared us for this kind of coping, "Which sounds terrible when you think about it," she reflected. "We live dealing with existential threats and constant anxiety. For example, on Oct. 7, there was this shocking statement by the residents of the south who initially said, 'We thought it was just rockets.' Where else in the world would people say, 'Oh, it's just rockets'? We're much more accustomed to dealing with threats compared to the rest of the world."

It is, quite astonishingly, common in Israel to experience rounds of conflict every few years, either on the southern or northern front. Rockets have essentially become a routine matter, as well as terrorist attacks. "It hurts us, but we're already used to it," Margalit said, explaining this pattern of behavior: "This is a biological mechanism called habituation. Take COVID-19 for example – at first, we were very anxious, but anxiety and fear started to decrease as it became our reality." 

Countering my mistaken impression that Israelis develop apathy to cope with difficult events, Margalit explained that as we continue to live with ongoing stressors, the body, ironically, eventually calms down, since it can't remain in a state of anxiety indefinitely. "It's a survival mechanism, an adaptive one. When we compare Israel to other places, our threshold is much higher; it takes a lot more to throw us off balance," she concluded.

Survival mode sounds just about right for describing life in Israel, but it manifests differently than one might initially expect. Rather than hiding away at home, you see Israelis out and about, even at times of prominent escalation. This demonstrates resilience like no other, refusing to surrender in the face of fear, yet it was important for Margalit to emphasize that as much as it might be perceived as the perfect machoism or invulnerability, resilience is actually about flexibility – the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. 

This is quite a jarring realization, as our natural instinct is to push back against challenging situations we encounter. When facing ongoing difficult circumstances, we often try to control every possible aspect to cope. However, it turns out that true resilience and the ability to handle anxiety are not measured by how much we fight against our situation, but by our capacity to adapt, to flex "like rubber," as Margalit said – adjusting to circumstances beyond our control.

However, extreme events or an ongoing reality marred by pain can eventually lead to a breaking point – even if you are fortunate enough not to live in a conflict zone – with anxiety emerging as one of the most common mental health challenges in the general population. In that case, speaking with a professional or simply writing down our feelings can be very helpful, according to Margalit. "It may sound cliché, but it's backed by science – when we take our disorganized feelings and put them into words on paper, it creates distance from those emotions. We can see that our feelings are manageable and controllable. This act alone can bring tremendous relief."

Another technique psychologists recommend is performing a ritual – writing down all negative thoughts by hand on paper and then burning that note.

"When people I work with start journaling for the first time, whether due to anxiety, heartbreak, or any other issue, it's chaotic at first," Margalit added, "But by the second or third day, they start feeling better, all through this repetitive writing process. It helps create order within our emotions, which is why it's so effective." 

Creating a sense of order seems like a distant dream in Israeli reality. The same applies to anyone on the planet who has ever experienced anxiety of any kind. But if there's one thing Israeli society excels at – and something the world can benefit from learning – is standing firm in the depths of chaos. Why? For one seemingly simple reason – as Golda Meir once said, "I guess we have no choice." The Israeli take on anxiety is about believing you'll ultimately prevail.

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Researchers found a significant link between chronic or persistent anxiety and an increased risk of developing dementia later in life, according to a recently published study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The study suggests individuals with chronic anxiety have a 2.8 times higher risk of developing dementia, while those who experience new anxiety onset before age 70 have a 3.2 times higher risk compared to those without anxiety.

The potential mechanisms linking anxiety and dementia risk include the impact of anxiety on blood vessels, brain cells, structural changes like hippocampal atrophy, inflammation, cell death, unhealthy behaviors, increased cortisol levels, beta-amyloid buildup, and other structural brain changes associated with dementia.

Anxiety is now considered a non-traditional risk factor for dementia. Addressing it early through continuous treatment, lifestyle changes, cognitive-behavioral therapy may help prevent dementia.

Previous studies on the relationship between anxiety and dementia risk have provided mixed conclusions. The new study adds the duration of anxiety as an important factor, investigating the impact of ongoing or persistent anxiety on dementia risk.

More than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, a number expected to increase to 139 million by 2050.

Practices like meditation, positive social interactions, stress management, and cognitive behavioral therapy can help reduce anxiety.

Sources: CNN, Catraca Livre, India TV News, Economic Times, Portfolio, News 24, SciTechDaily, MedPage Today, Scientias, Geo TV

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Doomscrolling, the excessive consumption of negative news, is linked to existential anxiety, distrust, suspicion of others, despair, and symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behavior Reports.

According to the study, constant exposure to negative news can lead to a negative view of the world, increased feelings of hatred and mistrust towards humanity, and existential anxiety.

Participants in the study included 800 university students in the U.S. and in Iran.

The negative impact of news on our perception has increased in recent years, with the media focusing more on negative stories.

The average American spends around 4.5 hours on their phone daily, with Gen Z spending 6.5 hours.

Doomscrolling can be addictive and lead to suspicions towards others, and to a sense of life's meaninglessness.

Sleep experts advise against bringing smartphones to bed. Some users are switching to 'dumbphones' or using specialized tools to limit app usage and reduce phone dependency.

Mindful social media use, including regular breaks, awareness of the impact on emotions and thoughts, and monitoring and reducing time spent on social media, can improve overall mental wellbeing.

Sources: The Guardian, Terra, Gazzetta, Pieuvre, BR, Indy100, Playtech, LADbible, Meteo Giornale, Earth, Futurezone, ZME Science, IFLScience, Daily Mail

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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A recent poll by the Israel Union of Social Workers presented a grim picture of mental health among adults in the country, Israel Hayom learned Tuesday. 

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Having surveyed 458 social workers, including in the Arab sector, the poll showed that 82% reported an increase in anxiety, 79% reported an increase in depression and 33% said they witnessed a rise in suicide and suicide attempts cases. 

The workers also lamented the lack of enough professionals, leading to delays in the critical treatment of patients. Ninety-three percent said it now takes longer to receive such care, 60% said patients have to wait up to three months to receive a psychiatric diagnosis, and 56% reported psychiatric hospitalization took over a month. 

In addition, 92% of respondents said cases of eating disorders also spiked, with patients now waiting up to three months to be hospitalized. 

"The coronavirus brings with a lot of mental distress," Inbal Hermoni, president of the Israel Union of Social Workers, said. "The worry and loneliness may not be prevented, but the responses to the distress can be corrected. Besides words, [we also need] resources, beds, and of course, manpower."

Israeli psychiatrist Julie Kayt concurred. "The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has greatly aggravated the situation. People are going through personal crises, spend a lot of time indoors and we see an increase in anxiety and depression cases. Now more than ever we feel a shortage of professionals. 

Those in need have to wait for months to receive treatment or schedule a meeting with a therapist. Someone I know who is in need of psychiatric care said the earlier she could schedule an appointment in Beersheba was in two and a half months. I sincerely hope that the government will aid us in the situation, she said. 

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We all know too much social media can be bad for you, but doctors from countries around the world are now saying a combination of anxiety, depression, and TikTok could be behind a recent increase in teen girls complaining of tics. The phenomenon, which has doctors puzzled, appears to have begun at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Reports in several medical journals noted the girls had been watching videos of people who claimed to have Tourette syndrome on the social media platform before experiencing the symptom, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The tics, according to the doctors, are similar to those seen with individuals with mild cases of Tourette syndrome. The nervous system condition causes people to uncontrollably and repeatedly twitch or make specific movements or sounds, such as shouting, whistling, or cursing. Boys are more likely to be impacted, and symptoms tend to show when they are young and increase over time.

According to The Wall Street Journal, some medical centers have reported seeing as many as 10 times the average number of cases they would normally see before the pandemic. While they would normally see one or two cases every month, they are now seeing 10 to 20.

The doctors further noted that many patients had been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, which was exacerbated during the pandemic. They said the girls did not in fact have Tourette syndrome but a functional movement disorder.

Miriam Hall, a child neurologist at Texas Children's Hospital told The Wall Street Journal one video was unlikely to cause tics but noted the social media platform's algorithm ensured children would repeatedly watch similar videos on TikTok.

In September, the newspaper reported on an internal Facebook report that found 32% of teen girls "said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse. Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves."

The report further said that in 2019, a Facebook internal presentation warned that Instagram "makes body image issues worse for one in three teen girls."

Even worse, another presentation found that a small percentage of British and American teen Instagram users said they started thinking suicidal thoughts due to the service.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was aware of the findings, The Wall Street Journal said.

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One year into the coronavirus pandemic, Israelis are showing signs of emotional and psychological distress. Consumption of anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication, and painkillers is on the rise. Israelis are also smoking more, and many have put on weight.

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According to a survey by Physicians for Human Rights Israel, one in every 10 Israelis has taken anti-depressants or anti-anxiety pills.

At 42%, nearly half of those who took the medication did so either for the first time or increased their dosage following the coronavirus outbreak. Over half of those who said they had taken either anti-depressants or anti-anxiety pills for the first time, 53%, were men. At 61.1%, Arab Israelis were more likely to say they had taken such medication, compared to 35.3% of Jewish Israelis. Among the 30.2% that received prescriptions for painkillers over the past year, 37.5% said they had either taken a higher dose than usual or done so for the first time.

People are also turning to cigarettes more often during the pandemic, with 34% of smokers saying they now smoke more often than they used to. Just 13% of smokers said they had cut down on smoking since the outbreak.

Around one-fifth of respondents, 19.2%, said they were eating less healthily than they were one year ago.

In a statement, Physicians for Human Rights Israel said the survey's findings pointed to Israelis feeling in "great distress."

"While in some of the indicators we see a greater impact on the Arab population, the warning signs exist among the entire population. The increase in the consumption of alcohol, smoking, as well as anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication and painkillers is an expression of psychological difficulty. Add to this the financial and health difficulties, and we have a dramatic blow to the population's physical and emotional health," the organization said.

The online survey was carried out by i-Panel among a representative sample of 610 Arab and Jewish Israelis.

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The COVID pandemic has prompted one out of every 20 Israelis to seek mental health assistance, according to the results of a survey by the Central Bureau of Statistics published this week.

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A total of 4.9% of the country's Jewish population has sought help due to the stress of the pandemic. More women (4.9%) than men (4.1%) reached out for help.

Most of the people who responded (38%) turned to counseling services offered by the Health Ministry or by the country's healthcare providers. Another third sought private therapists, and 18.7% reached out to hotlines operated by various organizations. Half of the respondents said they felt that they received help that improved their emotional state.

Other findings from the CBS survey indicate that the longer the COVID crisis lasts, the harder people find it to cope. Nearly one-third (30%) of respondents said their mental state was worse than it was prior to the onset of the COVID crisis, compared to a similar surveys from July 2020, when 26% of respondents said their mental state was worse than it was prior to COVID, and May 2020, when only 20% said their mental state had worsened.

Respondents cited high rates of depression (19%), anxiety (36.8%), and loneliness (21%). People do not appear to be acclimating to the difficulty of the crisis, possibly because of the instable nature of the drawn-out experience.

The numbers came as no surprise to the Israel Psychiatric Association.

"When 4.5% of the people reach out for treatment, it means an additional 500,000 citizens for the psychiatric system! For every person who tests positive for COVID, there is another person who is seeking treatment," says Dr. Zvi Fischel, chairman of the IPA.

"Anyone who thinks that everyone will receive service is wrong. Such a big number causes long delays for the start of treatment or long intervals between sessions. The government needs to immediately increase resources that will allow at least 30% more treatment hours in the public health system. The CBS statistics show us that distress has been consistent throughout the year of COVID. It's not a statistical error, it's a trend that must not be ignored," Fischel said.

Six months ago, the Health Ministry issued instructions to provide new patients with three free telephone therapy sessions via the service hotlines of Israel's healthcare providers.

Meanwhile, a study by Maccabi Healthcare Services' innovation institute KSM, in conjunction with the KI Institute – The Israeli Institute for Applied Research in Computational Health, found that diagnosed depression can significantly increase the chances of complications from COVID-19 in young patients. The researchers found that patients under age 60 who suffered from depression were an at-risk group that should be vaccinated.

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